Tohru's Demons
by Raha
Summary: Everyone has inner demons, and a few secrets locked away. But no one knew just how dangerous Tohru's demons could be, or the secrets SHE kept locked behind closed doors...DISCONTINUED. Sorry, guys :(
1. Teacups and Swimsuits

**Tohru's Demons **

**Chapter One: Teacups and Swimsuits**

* * *

"Ahhh, I'm so happy school is over! Now we don't have to think about anything for two whole months!" Tohru Honda sighed, stretching her arms high over her head as she and her four other companions walked up the path that led to Shigure Sohma's house. 

"Yes, now we'll have more time to work on the Secret Base," said the ever- polite Yuki Sohma (Year of the Rat), smiling warmly at Tohru, who nodded, smiling warmly back.

"I want to go swimming!" cried Momiji Sohma ecstatically, practically jumping up and down with abounding energy.

"_Now_?" Kyo Sohma demanded in exasperation, turning annoyed red eyes upon the Rabbit. Momiji rolled his eyes at the Cat.

"_Nien_, of course not, silly! We aren't wearing bathing suits."

"Oh, but we can all go tomorrow!" Tohru chimed in brightly. "If no one has any plans, that is. I'm off work, then."

"Yay!" cried Momiji. "You guys will come, right?" he asked hopefully. Hatsuharu Sohma looked thoughtful, Yuki looked doubtful, and Kyo looked at the Rabbit like he had lost his mind. Tohru looked pleadingly at them all and finally Haru sighed and nodded.

"Sure, I'd love to go," Yuki said finally.

"I'm not going if that damn Rat is!" snarled the Cat, pointing a finger at Yuki, who looked skyward as if seeking help.

"Oh, Kyo-kun, please? It wouldn't be the same if you aren't there!" Tohru gasped without thinking. Kyo, caught off guard, turned to her, surprise written all over his face and Tohru, blushing furiously, stammered, "I-I-I mean, if- if you don't want to, that's okay..." It was Kyo's turn to blush then.

"No, I...! I'll, uh, I mean... I'll... go." He finished lamely. Tohru beamed happily, while Yuki shook his head. By this time they had reached their destination, dropped their bags and slipped out of their shoes at the threshold and entered the living room. There they found Hatori, Ayame, Hiro, Kisa, Kagura, Ritsu and Shigure himself lounging around the kotatsu, apparently waiting for Tohru and their four missing relatives to return.

Ritsu was apologizing profusely to Hiro for something, while Hiro looked exceptionally put out. Hatori also looked a little peeved, but then again he always looked like that. Ayame immediately sprung up and approached his brother, his arms held out to embrace the mortified Rat, who backed up several paces, looking murderous.

"Yuuuuuki!!! It's so wonderful to see you again!!! This is the day we rekindle our lost brotherhood!" Ayame cried joyously.

"**_Stay away from me..."_** intoned Yuki dangerously.

"Shigure, what the hell are they all doing here?" Kyo demanded furiously. Shigure gave one of his fake laughs and was about to answer, but Kagura chose that moment to fling herself at Kyo, screaming, "MY LOOOOOOVVVVVE!!!!" which drowned out every other sound and left everyone with ringing ears. Kyo turned and bolted for the door, but unfortunately had to stop dead because Kagura had wrapped her arms around his head.

Kisa had also leapt to her feet and was currently glued to Tohru. Yuki looked at Shigure expectantly, his eye twitching slightly.

"**_Shi-gu-re... explain..."_** said the Rat. Shigure inched away from him, his smile never faltering, and said with a laugh, "It's the funniest thing, you know! They all randomly decided that they just had to see me!"

"We did not!" Hiro snapped. "I came because Kisa wanted to come here!"

"I wanted to see Kyo," said Kagura, still in the process of glomping her beloved Kyo.

"Stop lying. I came because you called me over," said Hatori in cold annoyance.

"I came to see Shigure..." Ritsu said in a very, very small voice from a corner of the room.

"I came to make Yuki acknowledge me as his brother," Ayame cried dramatically, striking a dramatic pose as rose petals danced around him. _Those are going to be a pain to clean up..._ Tohru sighed inwardly. Everyone stared at Ayame for a moment, but decided it was better to not comment.

"Well then, I'll go make everyone tea!" Tohru said happily and bounced off towards the kitchen.

"I'll help you!" cried Kagura, following her, with Kisa not far behind.

Minutes later!

"Here's everyone's tea!" said Tohru, balancing a tray with several teacups on it, and then promptly dropped everything. Tea and bits of teacup went everywhere, but no one paid any attention to it. Their eyes were all on the strange creature that had just at that moment landed on Tohru's shoulder. It looked like some sort of bluish black fox, but with a shorter shout, red eyes, and feathered wings.

"R-Raha...?" stammered Tohru in utter and complete bewildered shock.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket**

Well, that's the first chapter done! I hoped that those of you who are reading this for the first time really enjoyed it! Don't worry, I know the chapters are a little corny and that you may be a little confused, but everything will be explained, and trust me it gets _way_ better. And for those of you that are reading this for the second and third and forth time (I actually do that a lot) I hoped you liked it as much as you did the first time around!

Anyway, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or corrections to make, don't hesitate to REVIEW!!!

-Raha-


	2. Tohru's Strange, Strange Behavior

**Tohru's Demons **

**Chapter Two: Tohru's Strange, Strange Behavior**

* * *

"What is _that_...?" Kyo said, eyeing the winged thing warily. Tohru, ignoring him, reached up and gently took the thing from her shoulder and, holding it at arms length, looked it up and down critically.

It was about the size Kyo was whenever he transformed into a cat, with dark blue gray fur and black markings tipping its bottlebrush tail, pointed ears, snout, and running it strips down its legs.

"Rahallion, what are you doing here?" she finally said breathlessly. The Sohmas stared at her incredulously at this statement, and then all started talking at once.

"Honda-san, you know who that is?!"

"Don't you mean 'what'?!"

"Tohru-kun, how did it get here?!"

"That isn't an animal from around here..."

"Is it an alien?!!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Honda-san, say something!" Tohru shook herself and looked around confusedly and her eyes landed on the shattered mess on the floor.

"OH MY GOD, SHIGURE-SAN I BROKE ALL OF YOUR TEACUPS!!!"

Dead silence greeted this statement.

"Uh, Tohru-kun, that isn't really what I'm worried about..." said Shigure, waving a hand as he and the rest struggled up from the floor shakily. They'd all fallen on their faces for some reason. "Now, can you please explain that... thing...? And what it's doing here? You seem to be acquainted."

"Actually, _I_ don't know what he's doing here, either," she answered, setting Rahallion on the table, then stood back and surveyed him piercingly with her hands on her hips, her brows knitted together in thought.

"**Human."** She said firmly and clearly for no apparent reason, and snapped her fingers. Kyo would have asked her why she was acting so oddly, but a blast of wind came out of the table beneath Raha, blowing his fur in all directions and his body blew apart and upward with a sound like a rain maker, and then instantaneously reformed. Before them stood a boy who looked exactly like Tohru, but for his much shorter, slightly wind blown hair, and slightly narrower red eyes because he was currently glaring down at them all from the table with a look of minor disgust.

And he was completely naked.

"_Eeeek!!!_" shrieked Tohru and clapped her hands to her eyes.

"I forgot about that..." she muttered regretfully. "Kyo-kun? Could he please borrow some of your clothes?"

"Yeah... Sure..." Kyo answered vaguely, not really knowing to what he was agreeing to. "Come on, I'll... show you to my room..." Raha hopped off the table and swept by him.

"Don't bother," he said shortly. "I know where it is." And he disappeared into the hall and Kyo sank back into his seat, staring disbelievingly, before he turned on Tohru.

"How does he—?!" he started but Tohru whirled, crying in a high-pitched voice, "I'm going to clean up that mess now!" and ran into the kitchen at top speed. She came back with the trashcan and began throwing broken teacup into it.

"Tohru, _how does he know where my room is?_" Kyo demanded.

"_More importantly_, Honda-san," said Yuki. "Is he human? And what is his connection to you?" Tohru stopped cleaning and sighed. The other Sohmas turned rapt attention on her, waiting for her to say something.

"Answering your question, Kyo-kun," she said slowly and Kyo smirked at Yuki, who ignored him. "He knows where your room is because...How can I say this? Well, to put it bluntly, he's me. Well, not technically, but... That is... well, the thing is..."

"Just spit it out!" Hiro snapped angrily.

"You've heard the saying, 'face your inner demons', right? Well Raha is my inner demon. He's my unconsciousness, put into physical form. A _familiar_ of sorts. And I believe that answers your questions as well, Yuki-kun."

"But... how is that possible?" Shigure asked slowly.

"Magic? I don't really know myself. Why are you all looking at me like I'm crazy...? _You_ all turn into animals whenever you're hugged, _he's_ my unconscious self," she said, pointing at Raha who had just walked back in, fully clothed in Kyo's black T-shirt and green cargo pants. "It can't be any less possible."

"Ren, I see the animals have domesticated you," Raha commented with a smirk. Tohru shot him a reproachful look and said with a sigh, "Being the semi-demon that he is, he's a lot more meaner than I am." She turned to look at her familiar. "Now _I _have some questions for you, now that everyone can understand you."

"Shoot."

"What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, I heard that one already, anything else?"

"But you didn't answer it!" Tohru protested.

"And I'm not going to. Second question."

"But why...?"

"Because I'm not allowed to!" Raha barked furiously, making poor Tohru jump nervously.

"Don't talk to Honda-san like that." Yuki warned in a dangerously quiet voice.

"Yeah, you better watch your mouth, punk!" Kyo snarled, raising a fist threateningly.

"Wh-who says you can't...?" Tohru asked shakily, trying to calm the two of them down. Raha sighed irritably and ran a hand through his hair.

"Artemis. But you won't remember him."

"Remember him...? Come to think of it, I don't remember you either... I mean, I've never seen you, but I knew your name... And somehow I remember that you never do what anyone says, so... Oh... Oh, I'm confused..." Tohru sat down, her head spinning, and rubbed her temples. "Why is that...?" she asked, looking at Raha.

"I'm not allowed to answer that, either."

"Are you going to answer _any_ of my questions...?"

"That depends on what you ask," Raha replied carelessly. Again, everyone had to get up off the floor. After they were seated, again, Tohru said, "So what _can_ you tell me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Raha said sarcastically. "I can tell you where we are going and that we have to leave immediately."

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket**

Well, there's the second chapter! Hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it! Anyway, this is my first fanfiction ever in my entire life and I can't _believe_ how well it's done. I actually didn't want to write one for a long time, I just enjoyed reading them, but I got this idea, and as an attempt to inspire myself in another original project I'm working on I started this, but then I got obsessed and now I can't stop. I just have to know how it ends! Or rather, I just have to tell you, because I already have a vague idea...

- Raha -


	3. Of Pretty Pink Ponies

**Tohru's Demons **

**Chapter Three: Of Pretty Pink Ponies**

* * *

No one said a word. Everyone, particularly Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure, stared at Raha in incredulous astonishment. Finally, Kyo and Yuki leapt to their feet, about to verbally tear into the demon, but—

"And just where do you plan on taking her?" Hatori said quietly, staring at Rahallion through his hair with cold eyes. He wasn't on his feet, but he seemed far more menacing than both the Rat and the Cat at their angriest.

"I'm taking her into another universe. Will you quit asking me all these questions? Ren, we have to go NOW."

"Another universe...? Raha, don't be mad, but have you lost your mind or something? And why do we have to go now? None of this is making any sense!" cried Tohru shrilly.

"Look, I can't tell you why—"

"Because _Artemis made you swear_, I know. Rahallion, I'm about to have a nervous meltdown. _Exactly_ where are we going and why?" Tohru demanded, causing her friends to stare at her in bewilderment. They had never seen their sweet little Tohru be so commanding with anyone.

"_I can't tell you_," Raha burst out crossly. "And there's nothing you can say or do that will make it otherwise! So _stop_ asking me and serve your purpose!"

"Rahallion," said Tohru with her sweetest smile. "I'm going to turn you into the prettiest, pinkest pony with a purple mane and tail unless you come clean right now." Shigure burst out laughing while Raha looked mortified.

"Y-you can do that...?" Yuki asked, faintly disturbed.

"Yay! Ponies!!!" cried Momiji gleefully.

"You... You..." Raha growled, so angry and horrified he could hardly speak.

"And then I'm going to have someone braid _ribbons_ into your mane," Tohru added, watching as the last of Raha's willpower fled.

"Oh, I want to do it!" Ayame cried.

"You- you wouldn't _dare_..." Raha hissed. Tohru narrowed her eyes, still smiling, and raised her fingers.

"Wouldn't I?" she asked sweetly, her voice laced with impending doom.

"Alright! _Alright!_ Just... don't. Don't turn me into... _that_." Raha suppressed a shudder then stepped forward and whispered something in her ear. When he stepped back, Tohru's eyes were wide, fear swirling in their depths. She put a trembling hand to her face, her breath coming in short, gasping breaths as her heart practically threw itself against her ribcage, pounding out of control. The Sohmas stared at her for a moment in stunned silence. Kyo seized the front of Raha's shirt and nearly lifted him of his feet.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HER?!" He thundered, giving the familiar a violent shake. The panic he had seen in Tohru's face had sent him over the edge. Suddenly he wanted to fight, wanted to tear into Raha with almost the same passion he usually reserved for Yuki. Yuki himself looked like he would love nothing more than to send Raha flying through Shigure's new door, but instead he opted to try and calm Tohru like Momiji and Kisa were doing.

"Honda-san, what did he say to you? Whatever it was, he'll pay, don't worry." Yuki said, placing a comforting hand on Tohru's shoulder. She looked up at him, a blush spreading rapidly across her cheeks, and gave him a reassuring, albeit shaky, smile.

"I-it's okay, Yuki-kun. Raha...? H-how- how bad is it?" Tohru whispered, looking very pale.

"Bad. I'm... I'm sor—" Raha stopped, snorting petulantly, and rubbed his forehead. Shigure raised an eyebrow, and stared at the familiar piercingly, wondering... Raha gave him a haughty look, and Shigure smiled at him foolishly. "I... sort of wasn't supposed to tell you like this... We wanted to fill you in slowly because—" Tohru suddenly clapped a hand to her mouth and ran for the toilet. It sounded like she just barely made it.

"Because we were afraid _that_ would happen..." Raha finished, sighing. After a few minutes, Tohru staggered back into the living room.

"Feeling better?" Raha asked.

"I'm getting there..." Tohru answered ruefully and sat down again. "How many have returned...?"

"We can't be sure yet. More than three at least."

"Dammit!" Tohru cursed vehemently, causing the Sohmas to gasp in shock. "Oh, I'm sorry...! You must think I'm horrible, cursing in front of you like that!" she cried apologetically, blushing profusely.

"No... No... We don't think that at all," Shigure replied, waving a hand and grinning like an idiot, though he looked a little taken aback. "We've just never heard you say that, is all. It's a bit shocking."

_Once again, he's tactful as ever..._ Hatori thought irately.

"You aren't horrible, Honda-san," Yuki said consolingly, shooting a venomous look at Shigure, who laughed nervously.

"It's strangely good to see you finally venting some anger," Kyo added wryly and grinned. Tohru looked relieved and smiled. Raha, who had been watching this exchange with interest, said, "Now that you know, we should be going. As of immediately." Tohru's face fell and she nodded grimly.

"Right... Uh, um, I'm sorry, Momiji-kun, I can't go swimming with you tomorrow. Shigure-san? There- there's some food for you and Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun in the fridge. I'll be back in..." she paused, looking thoughtful. "Well, I'll get back to you on that!" she said finally, laughing nervously. "Bye, I'll see you when I get return!" she said with a wave. Kisa threw herself at Tohru, wrapping her arms around the winded teenager.

"No..." she whispered, her quiet voice pained, tears stinging her eyes. "_No_. You can't...! You can't leave me! I'm afraid that if you do... if you do you... you won't... come back."

"Kisa... I said I was going to come back..." Tohru replied quietly, putting her own arms around the little girl. "I'm sorry..." she whispered, and, kneeling, gently pulled the Tiger off her, fighting tears.

"I promise... I _promise_ I'm coming back. Nothing bad is going to happen to me." Tohru said, looking Kisa in the eye.

"When?" Kisa whispered.

"In three days. Look for me in three days," she said, shooting a look at Raha, who nodded. "But I have to go now." Tohru pulled Kisa into one last hug and then got up, smiling around at the rest of them.

"But why...?" Momiji asked, his usually chipper voice subdued. Tohru grinned ironically.

"That... I can't tell you."

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket**

I don't have anything much to say here, other than I would love to hear what you have to say about it so far.

-Raha-


	4. Tohru Reveals Her Superpowers!

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Four: Tohru Reveals Her Superpowers!**

* * *

"I HAVE LASER VISION!" Tohru announced dramatically... No... No, I'm kidding. Forgive me I couldn't resist. This! This is the real story...

**Chapter 4: Tohru Reveals Her Superpowers!**

* * *

"Not you, too! Don't you dare start that crap with us!" Kyo yelled furiously. "What the hell is going on?" Tohru bit her lip, looking upset, and Kyo immediately regretted his outburst.

"Ah... no... I didn't mean to say it like that..." he stammered, putting out a hand, but Tohru shook her head.

"No, you're right. You deserve to know what's happening," she said soothingly.

"Ren, we don't have time for this. We have to go!" Rahallion snarled urgently.

"Okay...!" Tohru cried, flustered, but she didn't move. "You can ask me anything except why I have to go. If you knew you'd be in terrible danger. But you have to make it quick, alright?"

"What did Raha say to you? What could be so bad that you would throw up...?" asked Momiji with concern. Tohru was quiet for a moment before she answered.

"'The bird of Hermes is my name/eating my wings to make me tame.'" She recited quietly, and a chill ran down the Sohma's spines.

"It's… sort of like a key. With those words, Raha rekindled my memories of a life that I left behind a little over a year ago, just before I met all of you. He wasn't supposed to do it all at once, though..."

"I only did it because you threatened me!" Raha cried defensively.

"That's what made me sick, having nine years worth of memories restored in about five seconds," Tohru finished, ignoring him. "When I was seven, I was kidnapped and, through a series of unfortunate and very random events that I will not go into right now, spent those nine years in another universe, under the name 'Ren Ptolemy'. Then, for reasons that I can also not explain right now, my memories of those nine years were wiped and I was returned here. Shortly after that, mom died and… well, you know the rest. Now my memories have been restored and I have to return to that universe once again."

Then she waited, breath bated, for their inevitable reaction.

Shigure watched Tohru as she hastily, and matter-of-factly, revealed her very strange past to them all. She almost made it sound like people were whisked away to other universes every day... and he thought from anyone else it would sound like a preposterous lie. But this was Tohru. Shigure didn't think she was even capable of lying, much less coming up with such a ridiculous one.

So he believed her. Even if he hadn't just seen her turn Rahallion into a human with a snap of her fingers, he would have still believed her. So when everyone was at a loss for words, he stepped forward and chimed brightly, "We trust you, Tohru-kun. Now you'd better go or your friend there is going to give himself a hernia..." Raha shot him a dirty look and stumped out the door.

"_Thank_ _you_ Shigure-san," said Tohru, giving him a gratefully relieved smile.

"Oh, don't mention it! Besides, the sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back, right you two?" said Shigure with a very wide grin, and looked pointedly at Yuki and Kyo. They both shook themselves and nodded.

"Of course, Honda-san. It's obvious that, whatever it is, it's important, so you should go. Just come back quickly, okay?" Yuki said, with a hint of one of his rare smiles. Tohru's heart skipped a beat and she nodded, blushing.

"I'll be back in no time," she replied cheerfully. Kyo snorted and stepped towards her, a look of stubborn determination written across his face.

"I'm going with you." He announced bluntly, and folded his arms as if that confirmed the matter. Tohru stared at him like a cow does at an on coming train for a second before what he had said finally clicked and she opened her mouth in protest.

"Absolutely not." Raha said uncompromisingly before she could get a word out, sticking his head back into the room. "It's too dangerous and you'll only slow us down."

"Look you—!" Kyo started angrily but stopped short when Tohru put a finger to his lips.

"No, Kyo-kun, he's right..." she murmured diffidently, looking extremely regretful and apologetic. "This time, I can't allow you to follow me. I'd feel awful if something bad happened to you. And to save you the trouble of asking, Yuki, no, you can't come either." Yuki, who had been about to say the very thing Tohru had thought he would, shut his mouth with a grudging sigh.

"If it's too dangerous for me, then it sure as hell is too dangerous for you!" Kyo said, not wanting to give up without a fight first. Tohru smiled ruefully.

"Don't worry, Kyo-kun. I'm probably the only mortal that can set foot in the place where we're going and not be torn to pieces. Now, please, I've lingered long enough!" And with that Tohru turned and scurried out the door, Yuki, Kyo and the other Zodiac members a few steps behind her.

Rahallion was waiting outside, drumming his fingers impatiently and looking very put out. He whirled when Tohru walked through the door.

"_Finally!_ Are you ready to go yet, or do you want to give them all goodbye kisses?" he asked scathingly while Yuki and Kyo turned red and glared daggers at him.

"I'll need a mount," Tohru informed him.

"Fine. But _I_ get to choose what I look like!" Raha snapped, jumping off the porch.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Raha? It's almost as if you don't trust me..." Tohru said innocently. Raha whipped around and glowered murderously at her while most of the Sohmas snickered into their hands, trying hard to suppress their laughter.

Hatori was the only one that managed to stay completely emotionless, through the edge of his mouth had quirked for a moment and his eyes, blessedly hidden behind his bangs, were dancing.

Shigure, on the other hand, was doubled over and laughing his head off, his finger pointed at Raha, who looked like he would love nothing more than to feed the Dog his own legs with Tabasco sauce.

"Pretty...! Pink...! Ponies...!" Shigure gasped between gales of hilarity.

"Shigure, don't be rude..." Yuki said half-heartedly, his hand covering the smirk that had crept onto his face as he tried to picture the temperamental Raha as a pink pony with ribbons flowing through his mane as he ran through a field of flowers... He couldn't do it.

"Heh, sorry Raha, but you walked into that one..." Tohru apologized and snapped her fingers. Once again a blast of wind seemed to come out of nowhere beneath Raha's feet, blowing his hair and clothes about him. His body disintegrated into a black cloud that grew bigger and bigger, two furious red eyes staring out at them from the midst of all the confusion. Seconds later, he solidified, and a gigantic black horse stood in his place.

It was a creature made from the stuff of nightmares. Raha's red eyes were suddenly horribly frightening, rolling madly within their sockets. Foam ran from his open mouth, revealing not horse-teeth, but jagged, razor sharp fangs that were coated in what looked like dried blood. Rivulets of sweat ran down his legs as he pawed a hoof the size of a dinner plate and twisted horns curled from his head. Tohru shook her head. The Sohmas goggled.

"Don't you think that's a bit much...?" Raha gave her a look that obviously said: 'Oh, and you're one to talk?' Tohru chose to ignore him and turned to her friends.

"Well, this is it. I'll see you three days from now, 'kay?"

"Make sure that you do," warned Hiro quietly. "Or you'll worry Kisa, and I won't allow that."

"Take care of yourself!" sobbed Shigure, waving a handkerchief while tears streamed comically down his face.

"Don't get yourself into trouble," Kyo grunted.

"Have fun vanquishing evil!" cried Ayame.

"And Honda-san" said Yuki, stepping in close. "Be careful."

"I will!" said Tohru, smiling around at them all.

"And when you return, I would like an explanation as to all of this, understood?" Hatori said in a no-nonsense voice. Tohru looked hesitant for a fleeting moment before she nodded.

"When I return. Until then, goodbye!" she cried, then ran towards Raha and vaulted easily onto his back. Raha turned and bolted, flying at top speed down the path that Tohru had walked up just an hour before.

"Bye, Tohruuuuuu!!!! See you soooon!" yelled Momiji after her, waving frantically. Tohru turned and waved back, then leaned forward as far as she could go and threw out her hand, palm facing outwards. And for a second, the Sohmas truly saw how powerful Tohru Honda really was. For there, just above the crest of a hill, a door had opened in the sky to reveal a moon- bathed sandy beach. Then Tohru and Raha were through, the familiar's hooves throwing up sand in his wake, and the door closed silently behind them.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Raha: I DO . OWN FRUITS BASKET **

Shigure: Rahaaaaa...

Raha: _Puts hands behind back and gives him her most innocent face_ What?

Shigure: Say it.

Raha: I did!!!

Shigure: Raha, do you want to be sued?

Raha: Hmmmm... Yes!!!

Shigure: .... I'm sorry, folks. Please be patient. She's had like ten cups of coffee... Anyway, do you see that tiny, miniscule dot between the "do" and the "own"? If you magnify it one-hundred billion times it says "not". I think that's the best disclaimer you're going to get out of her...

OH GOD I'M SO HYPER RIGHT NOW!!!!! I have SIX REVIEWS so far. This is, as I have said already (but I'm going to repeat myself anyway), my first fanfic and I'm so bleeping EXCITED about it!!! I'm practically dancing around in my chair! Okay, yeah, six reviews is not that much... BUT WHO CARES?! I have six reviews, HA!!! Okay, I'm calm now. Glad I got that off my chest...

* * *

Wow, that was a lot longer, wasn't it? Thanks again to everyone that has reviewed! I'm glad you liked it! Hopefully, you'll get to meet Artemis in the next chapter. I love him! He's so wonderful. You'll have no idea who I'm talking about. He's my own creation, so of course I love him. Also, if you're confused about anything, please tell me EXACTLY what it is so I can fix it and/or explain it later. I made a little of it confusing on purpose, though... It's to keep people interested. I hope it's working! ;p

Anyway, about Tohru's ability to change what Rahallion looks like... She doesn't particularly have to say what he is, she can just snap her fingers and think it, but saying it adds more _insurance_ that that will be the shape he takes. Raha hates transforming, though he can do it on his own without Tohru snapping, but he tries to avoid it. I think he really hates it when he's forced, so Tohru tries to get his permission first, unless she's _really_ angry with him or doesn't want to argue. He usually doesn't want to take the shapes she wants...

Until next time, then!

-Raha-


	5. Waiting for Tohru

**Tohru's Demons **

**Chapter Five: Waiting for Tohru...**

* * *

No one said anything for a long time after Tohru disappeared into thin air; they were all staring dumbly at the spot where the other universe had appeared, lost in their own confused thoughts. For a moment it was as if the entire world had gone on mute.

"...Did anyone else know she could do that?" Shigure said after a long pause when he could no longer stand the silenced atmosphere.

"No..." Hatori replied, letting out a muffled sigh. He had been holding his breath.

"Do you think she'll be okay...?" Momiji asked quietly.

"Of course she will!" Kyo snapped in annoyance, running a restless hand through his hair. "She's got that demon with her. She'll be fine. Absolutely fine." He repeated, as if saying it would make it happen. Then he turned his back resolutely and, shoving past Yuki roughly, stomped back into the house. Yuki gave way passively, hardly knowing or caring that the Cat had even touched him, and continued to stare at the spot above the hill, fearing that if he turned his back he would never see her smiling face again. Thinking that somehow through sheer act of will he could bring her back safely.

He didn't notice the Sohmas leave, one by one, didn't hear his brother calling a farewell to him, and would have stayed there all night and the next day and the next until Tohru came walking back if Shigure hadn't put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, your dinner's getting cold. After you eat you can come back out and resume whatever it is you're trying to accomplish," he said with a lop- sided grin.

"Wh-when did everyone go...?" Yuki asked, looking around, surprised at how dark it suddenly was.

"About an _hour_ ago," snorted Kyo through a mouthful of food. "Were you going to stand out there all night?"

"Shut up." Yuki said, piling food onto his plate.

It was a very quiet meal.

Kyo paced back and forth restively, shooting impatient glances every few seconds at the crest of the hill. He had been _very_ irritated for the past three days, far more than usual, and had been snapping at everyone, and beaten into the dirt by Yuki for his pains. Yuki himself was seated on the edge of the porch, one leg brought up, his chin resting on his knee, arms wrapped listlessly around his ankle. His eyes were locked on the bit of sky where the door to the other universe had been. His insides were writhing unpleasantly, but his face was kept carefully expressionless. Several times a day he had caught himself staring listlessly at the hilltop and it was beginning to annoy him.

"Augh, I can't _stand_ this!!! Where is she?!" Kyo bust out furiously. "This is the third day! She should have _been here_ by now!"

"Would you please... stop making so much noise?" Yuki requested in suppressed irritation. "It's early morning... she probably hasn't even woken up yet..."

"She wakes up earlier than _you_. And don't tell me what to do, lazy RAT!"

"Well, yelling isn't going to make her come back any faster!" Yuki snarled. Kyo glared hatred at the Rat's back and continued pacing, muttering curses and threats under his breath in a constant stream.

Shigure was inside sitting in front of a blank computer screen staring off into space, ready to jump up at a moments notice. He was straining his ears, waiting for Yuki and Kyo to cry out. When they did, that would mean Tohru had returned.

He was worrying himself sick, not to the extent Yuki or Kyo were, but he was close. He could hardly contain his nervousness. Something deep inside him, tucked away in one of the dark places of his mind, whispered that he had seen the last of his dear little flower, but he pushed it away with frantic violence.

_She'll come back... she'll come back... she'll come back... _he repeated to himself, over and over and over... and busied himself with the undying and unbearable curiosity as to why all of this had been happening. It was eating him alive and he could barely stand it anymore, but it was better than that sick feeling twisting in his gut.

Suddenly, he heard Yuki jump to his feet with a wordless shout. Shigure leapt out of his chair and bolted to the door and, for the first time in his life, was disappointed to see Hatori and Ayame coming up the path. So was Yuki, apparently, as he was scowling irately. Kyo also glared as Hatori and Ayame came near. The Dog sighed in frustration and plastered a huge fake grin over his face.

"Ha'ri! Aaya! What brings you here?" he called gaily.

"As if you didn't know already," Hatori said quietly, joining Shigure on the porch.

"We came to see little Tohru-kun!" Ayame cried flamboyantly. "Is she not back yet from her adventures in the other universe?"

"No, not yet!" Shigure replied with a gleeful little laugh.

"Stop it," hissed Hatori suddenly in a rare show of anger. "Stop acting like nothing is wrong."

"What could be wrong...?" whispered Ayame anxiously. "Surely, nothing happened to..." he let his sentence die in his throat, seeing the look on Hatori's face.

"Well, then! Let's go inside, shall we? I'll make us some tea!" Shigure said in an almost disgustingly false cheery voice, attempting to ease the tense atmosphere. They both nodded and followed the Dog into the house. Yuki and Kyo stared after them, shock written all over their faces. They'd never heard Ayame sound like that, so subdued, or seen Hatori look that upset.

Yuki sank back down and continued to stare at hill expectantly. Kyo went back to pacing.

Suddenly Yuki leapt up again with a gasp.

"Is she here?!" cried Kyo, whirling. Shigure, who had just sat down in the living room, ran to the door again, Ayame hot on his heels. Hatori forced himself to follow them at a more dignified pace. But halfway there, he met the returning Shigure and Ayame, both the picture of dejection.

"No... False alarm. It's only Momiji and Hatsuharu." Shigure informed him with a heavy sigh. Hatori suppressed a moan and went back to the living room. Meanwhile, Yuki sat back down in disappointed frustration.

"Hello, Momiji, Haru..." he said apathetically. Haru nodded and sat down next to him. Momiji bounced around, firing off questions like a machine gun, of which were being completely ignored. Five minutes later Yuki bounded up, again, as a brown head crested the hill, his heart leaping into his throat with hopeful excitement. Momiji shut up at once and let out a joyous gasp and Haru looked up expectantly.

"_Finally_—!" yelled Kyo, and then stopped dead. Shigure and Ayame appeared in the door again, the Dog out of breath by now from running so much.

"Is she here?!" Shigure demanded, saw who it was coming up the path, and heaved another sigh. "No... it's just Kagura." He turned and went back inside. Hatori had not moved from his chair, and was sitting there, quietly sipping his tea.

"How can you be so _calm_?" Shigure demanded. "Aren't you _dying_ to know what's been happening to our little flower?"

"Nothing has happened to her." Hatori said firmly.

"How do you know...?" asked Ayame.

"I just do."

"Well, I wish you'd tell me how you do it, I want to know, too," the Snake whined. "I haven't been able to get _any_ work done, I've been so curious."

"Me, too," added the Dog. "So, Ha'ri, how do you know?! Huh? Huh? Tell us, tell us!!!"

"Quiet, you hack."

Meanwhile...

"KYO, MY LOOOOOOVVVVVVVE!!!!"

"This is stupid... And what am I doing down here?" Yuki asked himself and got up abruptly. "I'm going to the roof," he informed no one in particular.

"Who cares?" snapped Kyo automatically, trying vainly to disentangle himself from Kagura's crushing embrace. "Why?" he demanded immediately after.

"Do you even listen to _yourself_...? Not that it's any of your business, but I can see better up there. Then I won't have to keep jumping up and down every time someone comes over that hill." Yuki answered, disappearing up the ladder. "I'll call if I see her."

Yuki had been right in going up higher. Now he had a clear view of the path beyond the hill, and soon saw the rest of the Sohmas, Hiro, Kisa, and finally Ritsu, coming around the bend. But no Tohru. By now most of the Sohmas had gone inside, wanting breakfast and tired of waiting. The Rat stayed vigilantly at his post, his legs brought up to his chest, staring over his knees, waiting...

Kyo sat down next to him wordlessly.

"Kyo?" said Yuki quietly after a few minutes.

"What?" asked Kyo gruffly, leaning back on his hands. Something in Yuki's voice made Kyo refrain from yelling at him. Yet.

"...Never mind." Yuki sighed, trying hard to keep the worry and misery out of his voice. Kyo glanced sideways at him. _And they say I have emotional problems..._ he thought, raising an ironic eyebrow. _Great..._

"Yuki?"

"Hm...?"

"She'll be fine." Kyo told the Rat casually, eyes staring straight ahead.

"Yeah..." _Thank you...  
_  
"Hey, isn't that Akito's car...?" said the Cat suddenly, narrowing his eyes uncertainly. When the Rat didn't answer, Kyo looked around in mild surprise. But Yuki was long gone.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, and I seem to be the only one that is glad about it, because then I would know what happens in the end, and I want to be surprised.**

**Shigure: But... Look here, that's not what you insinuated in the previous chapter—**

**Raha: ...Shut up.**

* * *

Awww... slight Kyo and Yuki fluff! They're both just so cute I couldn't resist doing that. And no, they are not going to be homosexual, no matter how funny that is. Don't get me wrong, I have to problems with homosexuality, I just think that's just pushing the out-of-character line to the EXTREME. Those two have suffered enough without being forced to kiss and make up. Literally.

I'm a bit miffed about what to do with them... Kyo and Yuki, I mean. Should this story become a YukiTohru or KyoTohru pairing...? Yuki's so ADORABLE I can't help but love him, but then again, Kyo's character is just absolutely wonderful. But it seems to me that Kyo acts more like a big brother towards Tohru, whereas Yuki actually puts some moves on her. On the other hand, Kyo might just be too embarrassed or shy to actually do anything that would make him more than just friends with her... Any suggestions pertaining to this problem would be most helpful.

And no, Shigure is not in love with Tohru. I doubt anyone is going to call me on it, though. I was just worried about it myself... He certainly looks like he's in love. Kinda...? But he sees himself more as a father, than a lover.

Anyway, sorry folks, Artemis didn't show up this time. Ah well, maybe next chapter. I just thought it would be evil if I stopped here. And I do so love being evil...

Tootles! ♥ ;P

-Raha-


	6. Gigantic Killer Cockroaches

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Six: Giant Killer Cockroaches**

* * *

Kyo watched with growing confusion and apprehension as Akito's car parked itself in front of Shigure's house. When Akito himself stepped out of the car, Kyo could only stare at him, dumbfounded. Akito looked up at him, a sneer spreading slowly across his face.

"Cat. Run along and tell Shigure I've come to visit him." Akito ordered, his sneer widening, as if his complete power over Kyo gave him some sort of sick satisfaction. Kyo hated it and his scowl darkened considerably. He stared back at Akito, almost feeling safe enough up there on the roof to defy the boy's wishes entirely. Almost. He stood up, stretching, hardly giving Akito a glance and made his way leisurely to the edge of the roof as if that had been his intention all along. Slowly he climbed down the ladder, pretending to pay special attention to his footing.

Finally he dropped to the ground, put his hands in his pockets and walked calmly to the door. It was then that Akito seized the front of his shirt and slammed him into the wall. Hard.

"I thought I told you to run..." Akito whispered, his nose inches from Kyo's, eyes glinting maliciously. Hatred bubbled up in Kyo's throat like acid. He wanted to hit Akito. He wanted to yell and shake him and curse at him and throw things at him.

But he didn't. He was afraid to.

Akito watched the turmoil in the Cat's face and smirked, knowing he had won. He released Kyo's shirt, brushed it off, and stepped back, still smiling with that same look of cruelty and malice that made Kyo sick to his stomach.

"Akito? What are you doing here?" Both boys looked up at the sound of Shigure's voice, and the Dog couldn't help but note the look of relief in the Cat's eyes. It was gone in an instant and Kyo all but ran into the house.

"Oh, I just dropped by," Akito said. "What's this I hear about Tohru Honda disappearing into another universe?"

Half an hour later found most of the Sohmas, with the exception of Hatori, Shigure, and Akito, out on the porch. The three aforementioned people were in the living room, drinking tea and talking quietly. Akito had ordered every one else out, and they had gladly obliged. Ayame seemed to be the only one reluctant to leave, wanting to stay by Hatori and Shigure, but Akito couldn't stand him, so he too had to make tracks. Yuki had crept back onto the roof once he was sure Akito was safely engaged in polite conversation. Kyo had joined him shortly, but unable as he was to sit still for five minutes, he was soon up and pacing.

And Tohru was still nowhere to be seen.

Momiji was getting bored. He sat on the edge of the porch and twiddled his thumbs restlessly. No one was talking and it was making him nervous, and he was already nervous enough with the unexpected presence of the Head of the Sohma Family sitting not ten feet away from him in Shigure's living room, quietly drinking tea. Not only that, but he had had about twenty pixie sticks, an American candy that he fancied at the moment, and they were making him jumpy. A minute passed.

Another minute passed.

After a minute another... minute passed.

A minute passed...

"Is that girl here yet...?" came Akito's cold voice from right behind him. Momiji fell off the porch with a yelp and a thud. The rest of the Sohmas jumped about three feet in the air, their hearts pounding wildly and whirled to find Akito standing in the doorway with Shigure and Hatori behind him.

"A-Aki-Aki-ki-ki-kito-sama!" cried the Rabbit, jumping to his feet, laughing nervously. "I didn't see you there!" Akito gave him a cold, half-lidded stare, wiping the smile from the normally chipper bunny's face.

"Idiot..." growled Akito in disgust. He turned his piercing gaze to the hill, staring at it shrewdly. "Is that where she... vanished?" he asked, putting a slight emphasis on the word 'vanished', and nodded towards the rise. He didn't miss the worried looks the Zodiac members shot at the hill as they silently confirmed him. He snorted, completely unconcerned, but this seemed to trigger something and his body was suddenly wracked with horrible, hacking coughs. Akito grabbed the doorframe to steady himself, trying hard to breath.

"Akito!" cried Hatori, concerned, grabbing the boy's shoulders gently. The other Sohmas leapt up, also looking very worried. Yuki and Kyo jumped down from the roof and shot Akito anxious looks.

**_"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!"_** Akito roared, throwing Hatori into a wall. No one moved or spoke. Akito was shaking fury, gasping for air, his chest heaving as he looked around wildly.

_It's not me they care about...  
_  
It was at that moment that a portal to another universe opened in midair right before them and a man staggered through, quickly followed by a rather large cockroach.

This man was very strange, indeed. He had pointed dog-ears on the top of his head, claws, fangs, golden eyes, and a long bushy tail. Otherwise he was completely human, with coarse, long dark-brown hair, tied back in a single braid down to his mid-back. He wore a long dark blue trench coat, and white pants tucked into dark brown leather boots.

The cockroach reared up, screeching in a very horrible manner. The man, or rather demon, stared at it, as if wondering where it had come from, and then quite calmly pulled a short-barreled musket from his back, pointed it single-handedly at the giant roach and fired. The roach spun around and landed upside down, it's legs waving in the air, screaming its buggy head off, and spraying green ooze all over the ground. The demon waltzed up to it, in no hurry really, and, deciding that it was indeed _not_ dead, blew a few more holes in it. He then picked up a nearby stick and poked it, making sure that it was very much not alive. He then turned away and pulled a bottle of rum from his trench coat pocket and proceeded to down the little alcohol that was left.

"AAAAHHH!" he cried with a satisfactory smack. "Now _that's_ tasty!" And he threw the bottle over his shoulder, staggering back a few steps drunkenly. It was about then that he noticed Akito staring at him in mild shock and disbelief.

"What?" demanded the demon crossly. "Fuck off." He added vulgarly to the infamous, respected, powerful and highly feared Head of the Sohma Family. The Zodiac members were slowly backing away from Akito, who had gone white with rage. The demon didn't seem to notice that the atmosphere was suddenly radiating doom, or that Akito was on the verge of attacking him. That, or he was about to have an apoplectic fit. Instead he seemed far more interested in rooting around in his pockets, searching for another rum bottle.

The Sohmas were so shell-shocked that they didn't see another person walk through the portal and stop by the fallen rum bottle. The new person picked it up and scrutinized it, and then turned reproachful eyes on the demon that had just blown away a giant cockroach and then told Akito to do something very naughty.

The demon looked at her groggily for a moment, trying to figure out who she was, and then smiled widely.

"Ren! Good to see you!" he said loudly, waving an arm and stumbling around a bit more. Yuki and Kyo gasped, whirling around, and there was Tohru, looking quite different then they remembered. For one her hair was much shorter. It came down to almost the base of her neck in the back, but there were two locks in the front that framed the sides of her face that touched her shoulders. She was wearing a dress the most gorgeous shade of sea- green that came down just above her knees with long, wide sleeves. Over that she wore a short-sleeved jacket a very light shade of yellow, trimmed with brown and tied with a brown satin belt. To top it all off she wore white satin knee-high socks that bagged out cutely over her brown, soft leather shoes.

Over all, she was the picture of adorability.

"Just where on earth have you _been_!?" Tohru demanded the demon breathlessly. The demon looked around, panic-stricken.

"I didn't do it!" he cried frantically. "It was... I was... It wasn't me, I was DEAD then! I was on the moon!" Tohru stared at him blankly for a moment.

"I haven't even _accused_ you of anything yet!" she cried finally, exasperated.

"Oh, well... wh-what, what did you... What do you want... What was it again...?" Tohru looked at him gravely.

"You're smashed, aren't you?" she asked bluntly, knowing the answer.

"YES! NO! Well, uh, um... What-what's the correct answer...? I WAS DEAD THEN!"

Tohru shook her head, sighing. "Your I.Q. just goes down the toilet whenever you're drunk, you know that...?" She sighed again, walked over to him, seized hold of one of his fuzzy ears and dragged him to the side of the house.

"What... what are you doing...? Where are we...?"

"Don't worry. I'm just going to introduce you to Shigure's hose."

"But it _hurts_..." the demon whined plaintively.

"Stand there." Tohru directed him, pointing at the wall. The demon meekly obeyed her, shooting her curious looks as she picked up the hose, turned on the water and pointed the nozzle at him.

"What...?"

"You'll see," said Tohru gently, and squeezed the trigger. Water blasted out and hit the demon full in the face. He yowled, somewhat wetly, at the top of his lungs and fell over, waving his arms about chaotically. Tohru stepped closer to him, and kept spraying him in the face while the Sohmas looked on in round-eyed, flabbergasted silence. After several minutes, Tohru stopped spraying and dropped the hose.

"Feel better...?" she asked kindly, smiling sweetly down at him. The demon lay flat on his back, head spinning groggily. He looked at Tohru, trying to focus, but all three of them kept dancing around and around...

"I hate you..." he said, finally getting his bearings, and sat up. Tohru gave him her most charming smile and turned around to come face to face with a furious Akito.

"Heh, heh. Hi, Akito-san... Um, have you met Artemis...?" she said, indicating the very drenched demon.

"We've met." Akito growled coldly in a very dangerous voice.

_To be continued... _

* * *

**Shigure: It's _that_ time again. Please say the disclaimer, Raha. **

**Raha: _Puts her hands behind her back in a very childish manner indeed and turns away insolently_ Well, I'm not gonna... **

**Shigure: Raha... **

**Raha: Well I'm sick of saying it! I've said it for the past five chapters and it's repetitive and stupid and a waste of time and I'm not gonna say it again! I can't! I won't! **

**Shigure: _sigh_ Pleeease? **

**Raha: Shigure, you're boring... Fine... _Mutters beneath her breath_ Idunonfirtsbskt... **

**Shigure: Can't hear you, Raha! **

**Raha: I DON'T OWN FRUITS BASKET!!! Are you happy now?! **

**Shigure: Yes. I believe I am. **

* * *

THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU PEOPLE WHO HAVE REVIEWED!!!!!!! I LOVE you ALL! I feel so loved... ;) Speaking of love... Wh-wh-wh-who said anything about me loving Hatori...? **blushes furiously** I never...! I... I... I... I was DEAD then!!! I was orbiting the MOON!!!! I was in PAKISTAN, fighting IRAQIS!!

Anyway, pertaining to FruitsBasketcase's suggestion... Kyo, you say...? I've given it some thought, but I think Kagura would BUTCHER him if she found out he was going out with Tohru, after Yuki had BURIED HIM ALIVE. But you, purtymanagirl58, make a very good point. So all I have to do is choose between passion or love? Hmmmm... passion or love, passion or love, passion or love...?

Heh, heh. You know, I could always pair her with Akito...

-Raha-


	7. In Which Tohru Sort Of Explains Herself:...

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Seven: In Which Tohru Sort Of Explains Herself: Part 1!**

* * *

Tohru blinked in mild surprise, much to Akito's vexation. He had been expecting her to shrink back in fear, to cower before him and begin stammering apologies, as she was prone to do if someone were to talk to her in that particular tone. But the Tohru standing before him now was doing none of these things. She had a sort of jovial confidence about her that had not been there before. It was apparent in the way she stood, in her disposition...

And something was missing. It took Akito a few moments to discern what it was. Fear. He saw no fear in her eyes, respect, yes, and compassion, but no fear. For once in his life, Akito was at a loss for words. Everyone he knew had been afraid of him, even Tohru up until this point, so why did she not now...?

Tohru appraised Akito and glanced behind her at Artemis, raising a delicate eyebrow.

"Um... He said something very rude to you, didn't he...?" she asked, turning back to the Head of the Sohmas with a faint grimace. He nodded curtly.

"Yes. He did. I take it you are familiar with the cretin...?"

"Yeah... You know, he's really very nice, and a lot more intelligent, when he's _sober_." Tohru said, shooting a very pointed look at the demon over her shoulder. "Please excuse me, Akito-san, but I think Artemis is in need of some coffee." Tohru said with a courteous bow, and stepped lightly past Akito. She stopped short when Akito wrapped a pale hand around her wrist.

"You don't seem very surprised to see me here..." he noted coldly.

"I sort of expected to see you here, actually..." she answered ruefully.

"Did you now...?" was the icy reply.

"Yes, now will you please let go of me...?"

"No. You are going to stay here and explain to me what the hell has been going on around here! Starting with _that_." Akito snarled, pointing. _That_ was the gigantic dead cockroach now lying in Shigure's front yard.

"Ah! Well, yes—! Hmm, about that..."

"_Well?_"

"It's a gigantic cockroach. Sorry, but that's about as much as I can tell you about it... other than the fact that it completely took me and Raha by surprise, those things are _fast_, and we just barely had time to open a door. It was about that time that he showed up," Tohru said, nodding at Artemis, who scowled. "And you saw what happened to the big bad bug. Now can I go get coffee...?" Akito's frown deepened as he digested this information.

"Raha...? Door...?"

"Oh! Raha is my familiar, and I can open doors, portals, into other universes. Speaking of which..." Tohru gently tugged her hand from Akito's grip, went over to the hole in the air and walked through. Curious, the Cat walked up to it, put a tentative hand through, and found it had about the amount of resistance nothing did, letting his hand pass easily. Without a second thought he followed after Tohru, looking around inquisitively.

There was really not much to see though, except a few hills rising up from the rough, gray ground that faded off into the gray sky in the distance, so Kyo soon lost interest in the scenery.

What Tohru was doing, on the other hand, was far more fascinating. She called for Rahallion, who soon jumped to her shoulder, and then proceeded to pick up two humungous, colossal axes. Slinging one over her shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all and holding the other at her side, she looked around her ruined campsite.

"Well, it doesn't look like there's much to salvage, does it...?" she said and headed back to the door, through which the rest of the Sohmas were staring apprehensively, as Momiji jumped back and forth gleefully between the two universes. The sight of the two shining silver axes in Tohru's hands made the Rabbit stop dead, and he stared in open-mouthed awe. As the rest of the Sohmas were doing. Tohru turned back to Kyo, who was still standing a few feet inside the other universe.

"Kyo? I'm going to close it now, before any more insects come. Come back, please..." Kyo turned and walked out of the other universe, dazedly staring at the axes. Tohru, smiling cheerfully at him, dumped one of her axes carelessly on the ground, grabbed a fistful of air and snapped her wrist to the side sharply with a sound like satin being rubbed against satin.

A strange thing occurred. The door slid closed, shutting away the other world, like any other Japanese paper door would, except there wasn't really a door in the first place, so the effect of it was rather odd.

Then Tohru bent down and grabbed the dropped axe and then smiled brightly around at them all.

"Let's go inside, okay? I'll explain everything then, after Artemis has had his coffee, that is..." she said and began to head towards the door, and was almost immediately bowled over by a very relieved Tiger.

"I missed you so much...!" whispered Kisa fiercely.

"I missed you, too!" Tohru cried ecstatically, the axes in her hands preventing her from throwing her arms around the little girl. "Have you had breakfast yet?" she added kindly.

"Well, I forgot to eat this morning because I was so excited that you were coming back today..."

"But I just made everyone breakfast...!" Shigure protested.

"I wasn't hungry then..." evaded Kisa meekly.

"Stop trying to spare his feelings," said Hiro. "He doesn't have any. And his cooking sucks." Shigure tried to look as pitiful as was humanly possible.

"Has anyone had breakfast...?" asked Tohru, looking around uncertainly. They all shook their heads.

"Me neither, so I'll go make something!" and she flitted away towards the house.

"_You will not_." Akito growled severely.

"Huh...?" queried Tohru, coming to a stand still and looking back at Akito confusedly.

"You are going to explain to us what exactly you've been doing, and why you suddenly disappeared for three days," Akito snarled, his voice deadly calm. "The Sohma House has been in an uproar, all thanks to _you_, and I want to know why, right now, so _start_ _talking_."

"But..."

"_NOW!_" Akito exploded, his temper roaring to the surface.

"Oh, okay..." replied Tohru in a small, disappointed voice, scuffing her foot in the dirt.

"_I'll_ make something," said Hatori suddenly, stepping up to Tohru and looking down at her seriously. "My cooking, though it leaves something to be desired, is at least edible." Tohru took a small step back, looking at him in surprised perplexity.

"No, please, you don't have to—!"

"I suggest you go lie on the couch, you look like you haven't eaten or slept in days." Hatori interjected calmly in a voice that was not to be argued with. Kyo and Yuki and the other Sohmas looked at Toru in surprised perplexity.

"How did you...?" Tohru asked, just as surprised.

"I am a doctor. I _know_ when someone has neglected to take better care of themselves." Tohru blushed, catching the veiled reprimand, and nodded, obediently following the Seahorse (technically he was a Dragon, but his form took the shape of a sea-horse, so that's what Tohru thought of him) into the house.

"He's right, you do look kind of thin..." said Yuki, hurrying to walk next to her. Kyo appeared at her other side, surveying her in concern from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, since when have you eaten?" he demanded. Tohru looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Since I left I think..."

"You mean to tell me you haven't eaten _anything_ for three days...?" Yuki queried in dismay. Tohru scuffed a foot on the ground guiltily, not looking at them.

"Yeah, I guess... I guess I just forgot..." she told the ground.

"I suppose you just forgot to sleep too, huh?" said Kyo. He wasn't very surprised, though. He could tell something was going on, and had halfway expected her to not eat, which she was sometimes prone to do if she was very worried or upset. He knew that from experience. She had refused to eat or sleep, once, when he had been sick with a cold. So—

"Hatori, you don't need to make anything. There're rice balls in the fridge, I think." Kyo called.

So he had made her some food, for when she returned.

_To be continued...._

* * *

**Raha: _Moans _Don't _wanna_ say it...**

**Shigure: I'm sorry, but you have to!**

**Raha: But it's just so _dull_ saying it over and over...**

**Shigure: Oh, come now, it's not _that_ bad, is it...?**

**Raha: ...You say it then.**

**Shigure: I thought you'd never ask! Raha does not, I REPEAT, does not own Fruits Basket!!! And it's a good thing!**

**Raha: _whines_ Heeeeeey... TT.TT**

* * *

Well, that's chapter 7 done! Yay! **Runs about with streamers and throws flowers gaily** Anyway, thank you all for reviewing! I live for reviews, you know... I think that's how I've been able to get out the chapters so quickly, at least one a day. It took me a little longer this time, because it was a little longer, three pages longer in fact, so I had to cut it down a bit. Don't worry, it's all in Part 2! I don't believe in deleting anything I've written. My point is, I believe I can write faster when I read new reviews so keep encouraging me!

I'm SO shameless, aren't I?

By the way, I HAVE DECIDED. On who to pair Tohru with, that is. But I'm not going to tell you because it's against the rules that I just made up. And yes, I'll admit it now, you caught me, I love Hatori. He's so wonderful! But I love Shigure and Yuki and Kyo and Momiji, too... so... does that mean I'm cheating...? I don't know. Actually, I think I like Momiji in a more friendship kind of way... I have a friend exactly like him, and she's the Year of the Rabbit, too. Yeah, it's awesome.

Until I feel like posting again!

-Raha-


	8. In Which Tohru Sort Of Explains Herself:...

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Eight: In Which Tohru Sort Of Explains Herself: Part 2!**

* * *

"Oh, poor Tohruuu!" exclaimed Momiji, interjecting himself between Kyo and Tohru and grasping her arm. Kyo bared his teeth furiously, looking like he wanted nothing more than to hit the Rabbit.

"She must be exhausted and starving!" went on Momiji plaintively, oblivious to everything but his kind-hearted friend. "Do you really think you should be carrying those big, heavy things around...?" Tohru laughed and handed Momiji one of her axes and he gasped, staring in surprise at the deadly thing in his hands. It was feather light.

"But how...?" Momiji breathed in amazement. Tohru giggled at his reaction.

"It's made of mithril. It's feather light, but hard and sharp as steel," she explained.

"Mithril... What do you use it for, chopping down trees?"

"Something like that..." Tohru answered evasively, her cheeks flushing. Yuki and Kyo glanced wonderingly at her, but they didn't comment.

But Shigure was staring the axes with something bordering on suspicion. There was an odd scent lingering around the blades that sent shivers down his spine, but he couldn't decide if they were of joy or of fear. His head was screaming at him that something was horribly wrong about that smell, but his heart was disagreeing with just as much fervor, and it left him very confused. That smell... There was almost something familiar about it, but he couldn't put his finger on it at the moment. He gave a mental shrug and determined to ask Tohru later.

Artemis was watching blearily as Tohru walked past him towards the door and tottered unsteadily after her. Tohru stopped and gave him a questioning look.

"Where are you going...?" she asked him finally.

"With you...?" He said in bemusement.

"But you can't. You're completely soaked... you'd get water all over the floor."

"_You're_ the one that got me all wet in the _first_ _place!_" Artemis bellowed defensively, pointing an accusing finger at her

"Can't you just stay out here...?" she asked.

"And do what?" he demanded.

"I don't _know_... Guard the house or something." She retorted carelessly. Artemis looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"...What?" he asked, gazing incredulously at Tohru like she had lost her mind.

"Guard the house." Tohru repeated and continued walking.

"FROM WHAT?" he demanded loudly. "Th-that _squirrel_ over there, what? There's nothing here to guard it from! If you hadn't noticed, there're no _monsters_ around here!!! Well, if you don't count the C—"

"That's enough Artemis." Tohru said quietly. The demon glared at her as she walked past into the house, then plunked down on the edge of the porch with an indifferent "tch", muttering to himself.

Tohru sat gratefully on a cushion on the floor near the kotatsu and for a moment her mask slipped, and she looked as exhausted as she should well have been. Then the smile was back as Hatori handed her a plate loaded down with rice balls and she was soon devouring them with alacrity.

"So, what did you want to ask me..?" she asked after her third one, and pushed the platter towards Kyo. He pushed it back stubbornly and gave her a commanding look.

"But, don't you want one, Kyo...? You haven't had breakfast..." she said benignly, reluctant to keep them all for herself and not share.

"And _you_ haven't eaten in three," Kyo pointed out doggedly. Tohru took another rice ball meekly. By now, the Sohmas were dying to hammer her with all sorts of questions, but they waited for Akito to speak first.

"Exactly what have you been doing?" The Head Sohma asked silkily, reclining back in his chair and staring down at the girl at his feet.

"Reconnaissance," answered Tohru, shoving the platter this time towards Yuki, who shoved it back again with a pointed look.

"What's that...?" Kisa asked, scrunching up her face in confusion, trying to discern the strange word.

"She was spying," Shigure supplied helpfully, and then blinked, realizing what he had said and turned excitedly to Tohru.

"You _were_?!" he squealed, looking absolutely ecstatic. Now all the Sohmas were looking at Tohru in interest and she blushed at all their attention and developed a sudden fascination with Shigure's floor.

"Well, um, I suppose so..." she stammered, offering the platter to Shigure, who refused with a cheerful smile. "I was gathering information on..." she stopped suddenly and shot a pensive look at Akito.

"On what?" he demanded impatiently, his temper flaring. The Sohmas flinched and glanced nervously at Tohru. She took a deep breath and slowly pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper that had been stuffed into her belt. She hesitated, gripping the sheet in her hand and biting her lip, and then held it out to Akito. He stared at her suspiciously and took it.

"What...?"

"Just read it. Maybe you can make more sense of it than I could." Akito curled his lip and snapped the sheet open, smoothed it and scanned it quickly. After a few seconds his eyes opened wide in shock and he jumped to his feet. The Sohmas stared at him in alarm as he gripped the sheet in both hands, his eyes now flying across the page. Suddenly he whirled on Tohru, his pupils contracting severely.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" he roared, shaking the paper at her.

"If I knew, I would have _told_ you..." Tohru answered diffidently. Akito stared in disbelief at the paper, trying to comprehend whatever he had read.

"But... But this... this is talking about us!" He protested. There was an intake of breath from the other Zodiac members and they turned instinctively to Tohru, who nodded.

"I know," she said softly in a calming voice. "Do you know why you and the others are mentioned in a very antediluvian tome that was written in another universe? Because I'm completely stumped."

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: This is getting monotonous... _Takes a deep breath and says in a dull voice_ I do not own Fruits Basket. OH GOD, IT'S SO HORRIBLE HAVING TO SAY IT _ALL-THE FRIGGIN-TIME!_ I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMOOOOOOOOORE!!!!!**

_Antediluvian: Ancient; prehistoric; very old. I just thought it would be funny if Tohru said a big word most people haven't even heard of._

_Kotatsu: Didn't mention this earlier. It's sort of like a table with a heating blanket. 'sin the manga._

On a different note, have you noticed that Tohru is nothing like a hero, even though she is portrayed as one? Think about it, she's not the one that does all the growing and developing and she doesn't really learn any sort of important lessons along the way. It's the SOHMAS that do all the learning and growing, especially Kyo and Yuki. THEY are the ones that develop into better people, not Tohru. She's actually kinda pathetic... But it's such an awesome story, so I can't figure it out...

I don't know, I was just thinking about that one night at four o'clock in the morning because I have nothing better to do with my life... Tear. By the way, I am going out of town for two weeks. I'll probably still be able to update... **aside** _maybe_... but I'll most likely be busy with other things and not have time. If you're wondering, but you probably aren't, I'll be fishing and crabbing in Louisiana!

-Raha-


	9. Enter Shigure's Editor or The Beginning ...

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Nine: Enter Shigure's Editor or The Beginning Of The Zodiac Curse**

* * *

Akito stared at Tohru in stunned shock, swayed slightly, and sank down in his chair. No one said a word for an unbearably long time, until-

"Akito-sama, may I see that paper?" Shigure asked carefully, half afraid the boy would start yelling again. Akito looked at the Dog uncomprehendingly and then held out the letter with trembling hands. Shigure scanned it and his eyebrows snapped together with an almost audible click.

"Read it out loud, Shii-chan!" Momiji begged, trying to look over Shigure's shoulder without moving from where he was sitting, which was about three feet to the Dog's right. Shigure looked up in surprise and smiled nervously.

"Oh, right!" he said, shook out the paper with a flourish, and read steadily: _"...experiments have gone wrong. It was not supposed to end up this way. They were not supposed to escape. But they did, and we must now pay the price... It started two months ago, at approximately three A.M. on a Monday morning, when Niko Sohma, who ultimately proved to be the most troublesome member of the Zodiac Projects, broke out of her cage and proceeded to free the rest, who then escaped into the ventilation shafts. _

_"But, when our people arrived on the scene, there were only three children left in the room: Akira Sohma, Rei Sohma, and Niko herself. We knew they would be escaping, for we had contacts with Rei. But when we arrived, Niko pushed Akira into the shaft, and then turned to fight us off, her close companion, Rei, at her side. What power they possessed! Far stronger than they should have been at twelve years of age, they fought off five men. But they must have known they were fighting a losing battle. Just before we managed to capture her, Niko shoved Rei into the ventilation shaft and he, like all the others, was never seen again. _

_"You must bear in mind that these children were very special. And dangerous. They had gained extraordinary powers during the experiments. Thirteen could turn into a different animal of the Zodiac: the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Ram, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, the Boar, and the Cat. This was why the experiment was dubbed 'The Zodiac Project'. _

_Each possessed inhuman powers, though these powers had drawbacks, as each Zodiac member would turn into their animal whenever they were embraced by a personage of the opposite gender that was not of the Zodiac, or whenever their bodies underwent severe stress. But they would be capable of awesome and terrible things once they were finally focused. And the most powerful one, though she could not transform, was the Focus of all that energy and the key to Immortality itself. _

_"When the Angels arrived, they could not allow Niko to go unpunished. So-" _

Shigure stopped, his face oddly serious and thoughtful.

"Well?! Go on!" Ayame cried with eager impatience. Shigure shook his head and handed him the page.

"That's all there is. It just stops in the middle of the page. See? The ink trails off down the paper, almost as if the author was pulled away while he was still writing..." Shigure answered, pointing to the long, jerky line that ran down the page.

"But what does it mean? Who are all these people? They can't possibly be—"

"The first members of the Zodiac Curse?" Tohru finished quietly. The Sohmas froze and stared at her in bewilderment.

"Don't be stupid," snorted Kyo derisively. "That's impossible." Yuki gave him a disgusted look.

"Oh...? And how is it that _you _know this...?" he asked scathingly.

"Shut up!" Kyo snarled furiously. "Don't give me any of your high-and- mighty crap, you damn Rat! It doesn't fit the legend, because the Cat's there and she saves them all!"

"The Cat... You're talking about this Niko aren't you...?" said Shigure, watching Kyo with interest. He nodded shortly.

"You don't think that maybe _Rei_ could be the Cat...?" suggested Akito softly, his words cutting deep into Kyo, who froze, the color draining from his face. Finally he spoke in a tight and angry voice.

"The legend never said the Cat betrayed them all..." he whispered, rising slowly to his feet, his red eyes burning with rage as he stared at Akito.

"Rei was not the Cat," Tohru said suddenly, grabbing Kyo's hand and pulling him down next to her. She knew what Akito was trying to do, and the last thing she wanted was for Kyo to get angry and say something to the Head Sohma that would definitely get himself hurt later. "I looked into it," she continued hurriedly. "Rei was just another kid there, it seems. He wasn't even part of the Zodiac." Kyo looked at her and then nodded, his anger ebbing away.

"Why did you—" Shigure started to say but he was suddenly cut off, though, for at that moment a bloodcurdling scream rent the air. Tohru leapt to her feet and ran outside, followed closely by Shigure, Yuki, Kyo, and Kagura. Ritsu ran to hide in a corner, while Hiro jumped up, determined to protect Kisa. Akito rose halfway out of his chair, but Hatori shook his head, and he sank back down. Once he was sure that Akito was not going to put himself an any sort of danger by stepping outside, Hatori followed after Tohru and the others to find Shigure's editor on the front porch, screaming her head off and struggling to get away from Artemis, who had her by the front of her shirt and was yelling at her to shut up so he could explain.

"Artemis!" Tohru scolded, sounding like she was berating a dog. "Drop her right now!" Artemis released the woman, who fell into a sobbing heap on the ground, and rounded defensively on Tohru, who apparently was torn between being livid or being amused.

"It's not my fault!" he protested desperately. "She just showed up out of nowhere, saw the roach, saw me, and started hitting me with her purse, screaming about monsters! I didn't _do_ anything to her, I SWEAR!!!"

"That sounds like Micchan, alright..." Shigure muttered sagely.

"Okay, Artemis, I believe you. Now could you take care of that thing, before anyone else sees it and has a fit? Miss? Come on, I'll get you a cup of tea," Tohru said kindly, helping the woman to her feet.

"But-! But-! But-!" Micchan protested, pointing wildly towards the gigantic cockroach and Artemis, who scowled at her behind Tohru's back.

"Yes, yes, realistic looking, isn't it? Almost like a real gigantic roach! It's no wonder you were scared, but you needn't worry... We're using it in a school project on insects. It's so big so that everyone can see all the details and stuff. And don't worry about Artemis, he's just crazy... Never takes off that ridiculous costume..." Tohru and Shigure's editor disappeared into the house, and it was a good thing they did because Artemis had suddenly got a very violent glint in his eyes.

"I'll kill her... I'll kill her... I'll kill her..." he muttered murderously as he stumped over to the roach and looked at. "And how the hell am I supposed to get rid of _this_?!" he burst out furiously. The Sohmas decided it was better to go back inside and leave Artemis to fume.

After Micchan had drunk her tea, she seemed a bit calmer.

"Thank you, Tohru-kun," she said with a bow towards Tohru, who smiled cheerfully. Then Micchan turned on Shigure.

"Sensei, do you have—" she started and then stopped with a gasp. Shigure was holding up the last thirty pages of his latest novel and smiling innocently. Micchan couldn't believe what she was seeing, so she just stared at him in dumbfounded shock, her jaw on the floor. There was no fight. No hide and seek games. No lies that he had accidentally set it on fire and had to start all over again. He didn't even pretend that he hadn't heard her.

"Micchan, you're drooling all over my floor..." said Shigure, pushing the pages into his editors hands and then steering her gently towards the door. "Now, I'm quite busy at the moment, so see you later!"

"Yeah... Yeah, see you..." said Micchan dazedly and wandered away down the path. She didn't even notice that Artemis was in the process of tearing off the roach's legs, or that he was frozen in place and watching her apprehensively, as if he were wondering how to explain himself. But she left without a word, and Artemis continued what he was doing with a shrug. Shigure turned away from the door after watching the demon wrench the roach to pieces for a moment.

"Well, that was fairly painless..." he said with a smile.

"Did you actually just turn something in before the deadline?" Kyo asked, smirking. Shigure ignored him and walked back into the living room. Tohru was already back in her seat, and rubbing her temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache. Shigure gave her an encouraging smile.

"Now, I was going to ask you something before we were interrupted," said the Dog cheerfully. "Why did you bring this to us?"

"That's a good question." said Tohru after a moments thought.

"Why, thank you! It is rather good isn't it?" bubbled Shigure.

"Shut up and listen," said Hatori impatiently and Shigure fell quiet and waited for Tohru, who was trying not to smile, to continue.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning, when I left three days ago. I'm sure you all saw the door in the sky. That was an uninhabited world. When I closed the window, I opened a new one into Hell. If I had opened it here, a demon might have slipped through and wreaked havoc in the city-"

"Now just wait one minute here!" cried Shigure. "Are you telling me you went into _Hell_?! That it actually _exists_?"

"Uh... Yeah?"

"Hell? The place with all the fire and brimstone and tortured souls? _That_ Hell?"

"Well, um, it's not quite so dramatic. It's actually a very dull place once you get used to all the demons walking around... and the Bible here sort of exaggerates on some points. There are actually no tortured souls, there's no fire and brimstone, unless you count that one dormant volcano, and Lucifer's castle was a bit run down the last time I visited..."

_"LUCIFER?!?"_ everyone shouted.

"You mean like _Satan_?" Kyo demanded incredulously.

"Look," said Tohru crossly, and everyone quieted at once. "The Bible in this world is completely wrong on all points that include Lucifer. In that universe, he is the unconscience of the First Angel. In other words, he is that Angel's familiar. Angels, in that universe, were once humans who had had their unconsciences totally severed from their bodies, turning them into very dangerous and powerful beings. To fight an Angel is almost certain death. Well… for most people at any rate, but that's beside the point.

"Anyway, that's probably what happened to Niko. Who ever wrote that paper spoke of focusing. That's what it's called when they sever a familiar. Whoever was experimenting on those children, on your ancestors, was trying to create even stronger Angels." Tohru's tone suddenly became very serious and deliberate.

"Now listen, this is very important. Whoever wrote that paper spoke of one particular child that held the key to Immortality itself. If they get a hold of that child's ancestor, and if they should focus that person, they will be able to take over every universe in existence. _I cannot let that happen._ And that person is sitting in this room right now, and believe me, they're looking very hard for him."

"And who is this person?" asked Akito, his voice very quiet. The other Sohmas didn't dare speak.

"You already know who it is, don't you?" Tohru asked gently, looking at Akito with compassion and empathy. "He's the direct descendant of Akira, and his name is Akito Sohma. Do you understand? If the Angels get their hands on you and the other Sohmas, and they need all of you, they'll destroy the world as we know it. And they're coming for you, right now, at this very moment."

Akito then did something very uncharacteristic. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. "I don't need this right now..." he muttered. Tohru waited for a moment, watching him with sympathetic eyes.

"Look, Akito-san, I—" she started, but Akito cut her off.

"SHUT UP!" he snarled viciously, his head snapping up to glare at her. "You were going to tell me that it's all going to be okay, is that it? Of _course_ you were! Sweet, innocent, little Tohru, who knows all our problems! So, what words of wisdom can you give me this time? What can you possibly say that's going to make it all better and make all my problems disappear? How are you going to save us all this time, eh?"

"She won't."

Akito looked up to see Artemis standing in the doorway, staring at him. The demons ears were flat against his head as he made his slow, deliberate way into the room. He looked down at Akito with an unreadable expression. It was then that Akito noticed the gun in his hand. Artemis smiled and cocked his head, then raised the gun and pointed it straight at Akito's heart.

"Because we came here to kill you."

_To be continued... _

* * *

**Disclaimer: Must I do this every single friggin time...? Maybe... Oh, wait, I know! _clears throat_ THIS IS A PREIMPTIVE DISCLAIMER DISCLAIMING ALL FRUITS BASKET MATERIAL BY NATSUKI TAKAYA FROM THIS CHAPTER ONWARD!!!!! NOW ON WITH THE SHOW! WOO-HOO!**

I'm in the Sulfur Port in Louisiana, now, and tomorrow I'm going crabbing! That means, to those of you who have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, that I will be wandering along the beach and catching crabs in crab traps so that we can cook them and eat them later. Sounds fun, huh? I think so. Anyway, THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING! And if you haven't reviewed... REVIEW!!! Okay, enough of that. Hope you liked the eighth chapter of Tohru's Demons. I brought in Shigure's editor because someone mentioned it and I thought, 'Sure! Why not?' And yes, I have heard of Eddie Izzard... as you may have no-ticed. I love him, he's so great! And if you haven't heard of him, I suggest that you do, because he is my hero.

Now, a question for readers! Does anyone know who the Horse and the Rooster are, the ones created by Natsuki Takaya, not any created in fanfictions. If you do I need their names, their ages, and a quick description of their personality, otherwise I'm just going to make stuff up. Because that's what I do. I've actually seen all of the anime, up to the twenty-sixth episode, apparently it ends there (GRRRR!), and read all the books that are currently out, and if I remember correctly, neither the Horse or the Rooster ever show up. Sucks, doesn't it? Anyway, help would be appreciated!

Until the urge to write is no longer bearable!

-Raha-


	10. Enter The Horse and The Rooster

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Ten: Enter The Horse And The Rooster**

* * *

Akito froze, his hands closing tightly on the arms of his chair, his breath catching in his throat as he stared down the barrel of the gun. He clenched his teeth and waited, thinking for a split second that he was going to die, that it was all over...

"NO!" The furious cry snapped him back to himself with a jolt as none other than Tohru Honda, who had inserted herself between Artemis and the Head Sohma, obstructed his view. The Zodiac members were on their feet, and white with fear. Shigure clenched the front of his robes, breathing hard and fast. His two best friends didn't look any better. Yuki and Kyo both looked panic-stricken and angry and shocked and were heaving for breath as if they had just run five miles. Momiji, Haru and Kagura were mouthing wordlessly. Ritsu had hidden his face in his hands. Kisa was the only one that had made a sound, letting out a strangled cry and gripping Hiro's hand tightly, clenching her eyes shut. If Akito died now, they knew their lives would also come to a close.

Tohru was panting, looking at Artemis with a mixture of fear and unadulterated fury. She was practically shaking with rage, her fists clenched at her sides and her body stiff.

"Don't you _dare_..." she hissed. Several pairs of eyes turned towards her in surprise, having never heard her sound or look so wrathful. She was almost frightening. Artemis apparently seemed to think so, because he looked like he would love nothing more than to turn tail and run away in the opposite direction as fast as was demonly possible. But somehow he stood his ground and met Tohru's infuriated gaze with grim determination.

"Ren, there's no other way," he said quietly.

"They're my _friends_. I cannot just stand here and let you slaughter them." Tohru replied, her voice tight.

"God dammit, Ren!" yelled the demon furiously. "I'm not going to let them fall into the hands of those winged monsters that have the gall to call themselves our saviors! And if I have to kill them to keep them out of those hands, then so be it!"

"So you're planning on _murdering_ the entire Sohma Family, is that it?!" Tohru demanded. "Because that's what you'll have to do to eradicate the Curse. You'll have to kill every human being with the Sohma bloodline running through his or her veins. That's over a hundred and fifty people, Artemis!"

"I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!" Artemis bellowed.

"YES YOU DO!" Tohru screamed in reply. "There's another way...!"

"And it's _impossible_! There's no way in Hell we could pull it off without risking, and probably losing, our own lives in the process! I won't allow that to happen, do you hear me!?" Tohru seized the muzzle of the gun and pointed it straight at her chest.

"I hear you, loud and clear." She snarled softly in reply. Artemis let out a startled and horrified gasp and froze where he was, shivers running up and down his spine. Kyo and Yuki voiced terrified cries and rushed to her aid, but they didn't dare attack Artemis, which was what they sorely wanted to do, for fear that the gun would go off into Tohru's heart. Tohru reached up with her free hand and gripped the end of the gun, placing her thumb beneath the cock to prevent it from firing.

"Akito-san," she said quietly, never taking her eyes away from Artemis.

"What do you want?" Akito's voice had lost its silky composure and shook audibly. His hands were trembling and he clenched them at his sides. "_Well_?" he snapped when Tohru didn't answer quickly enough.

"I need the two other Zodiac members, Kureno-san and Isuzu-san, brought here. Immediately, please."

"And why should I do that?" the Head Sohma snapped.

"Because they are in grave danger. We have to get you all out of this world at once."

"I'll get them," said Hatori, standing slowly. "On one condition: you move that gun."

"Huh? Oh, right." said Tohru, and pulled the musket out of Artemis's grasp. Hatori nodded and made his way towards the threshold, slipped into his shoes and departed quickly, fighting hard to keep his breathing steady and normal. Tohru stared after him, biting her lip, and then looked over at Rahallion, who had hid himself out of the way on the refrigerator.

"Raha, would you please go with Hatori-san?" she asked. Raha bobbed his head, walked down the side of the fridge, and flew out the window.

"Why did you have him follow Ha'ri?" Shigure demanded at once, alarmed.

"Surely nothing will happen to him, right?" asked Ayame anxiously.

"No, no, he'll be fine. It's just a precaution, I don't want anything to go wrong." Tohru assured them.

"What could go wrong?!" they both demanded in unison.

"The Angels haven't come here yet, but if something else were to happen to Hatori-san, say if he were to transform, Raha can look after him until he can change back. I don't want him to be carried off by a cat or something." This explanation seemed to make sense to the Dog and Snake and they settled down to wait for their friend to return.

"You mentioned earlier that we had to leave this world," said Kyo. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to Hell," said Tohru, and got the reaction she had been expecting: every one stopped dead and looked aghast at her. "Don't worry about it. It's really not very bad. And it's the only place where you'll be safe from the Angels. That's the only universe that they can't enter. The demons would tear them to pieces."

"Wouldn't they tear us to pieces, too...?" Kyo pointed out.

"Not with me around they won't." Tohru assured him.

"I was wondering... can these Angels open windows into other universes like you?" Yuki queried.

"Uh-huh. Among other things." Tohru replied with a nod.

"What I want to know is, what are you planning to do with us, besides shoot everyone?" asked Shigure bluntly with a jaunty smile.

"Keep you out of Angelic hands mostly," answered Tohru. "Beyond that, we're not really sure." _Didn't she just say a while ago that there was another way...?_ Shigure thought to himself, but decided not to comment. If Tohru wasn't going to tell them then she probably had a good reason for it.

"These demons... They're not like Artemis, are they?" said Haru. Tohru shot a side-glance at Artemis and a smirk tugged at the edge of her mouth.

"Actually, he and two others are the only smart demons there," she said, putting special emphasis on the word 'smart'. "Most of the others of kind of... slow on the uptake." The Sohmas goggled at her and also started smirking.

"You mean _he's_ the best demons can offer in the brain department?" Kyo snorted, snickering. Artemis turned and glared at the Cat over his shoulder, his ears flattened against his head.

"That's right," said Tohru, leaning back on her hands and watching Artemis with a mischievous glint in her eye. "I'd _love_ to see what all the lower demons are like when they're smashed... I'm betting their brains would implode or something since alcohol seems to suck up all capabilities to _think_..."

"SHUT UP." said Artemis loudly and Tohru did with a satisfied grin.

About an hour later Rahallion came trotting back into the room, followed by Hatori, Kureno, and Isuzu, nick-named, for all intensive purposes, Rin.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Tohru-san," said Kureno politely with a little bow. "And you, Akito-san," he added, seeing Akito standing in the doorway, watching them all coldly. Tohru smiled warmly at the Rooster.

"You, too, Kureno-san. And you, Isuzu-san."

"Yeah, yeah, stop with all this formal crap. I've heard you've been very busy, eh?" said Isuzu, eyeing Tohru critically.

"How much have you heard already?" Tohru asked them both.

"What do you think I heard?" Was Isuzu's sarcastic reply. "_Everyone's_ been talking about your little escapades."

"We heard that you changed that thing..." said Kureno quietly, motioning towards Raha, who was currently walking up the wall towards the ceiling. "...into a boy with a snap of your fingers, that he rekindled your lost memory, that you then turned him into a horse, and then opened a portal into another universe through which you disappeared for three days. And now Hatori-san says that you mean to take us away into another universe because we're in danger in this one."

"Yeah, that about pretty much sums it up," Tohru said, grinning. Isuzu blinked and appraised her, hard eyes looking her up and down critically.

"You've certainly changed while you were away," she said finally.

"I'll take that as a compliment." said Tohru and Isuzu let out a small snort of laughter. "I'll explain the rest of it later, but now..." Tohru extended her hand in a swift, fluid motion, accompanied by a sound like satin being rubbed against satin, and a door to a moonlit beach opened in Shigure's kitchen.

"Ren." Artemis said suddenly, his voice strained. Tohru looked up, suddenly tense.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"We have company. Can you hear it?" Artemis said, his ears swiveling slowly. Tohru listened tensely for a moment. A strange wailing filled the air.

"Oh, shit..." Tohru said.

"'Oh, shit' is right." Artemis agreed.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: Look to the previous chapter**

Thank you all so much for reviewing, and special thanks to Cor-Chan for the information on Rin and Kureno! It was most helpful! You'll definitely be seeing more of them later. I hope they don't turn out to be _too_ out of character... Anyway, tell me what you think of Chapter 10! I really hoped you liked it! Hmmm... let's see, what else...? Ah. Yes. I'll be going fishing very soon once I get my license. I'll have to wake up reeeeeeaaaalllllyyy early, though, so I'm going to be _very_ tired for the next few days, so this'll probably be the last chapter for a while. I'll just tell you that the things that are about to attack are really, really horrible. They'll probably give you nightmares...

Heh, heh. Aren't I mean?

By the way, you'll be meeting some more of my original characters very soon I imagine. Well, not original, but I've given them new personalities. Lucifer, for one, and his not-so-well-known brother, Noctifer a.k.a Malacoda. I'm in love with Malacoda, you know. I like his name a lot, but it isn't mine. I first heard that name in Dante's Inferno. Malacoda was a demon in one of the circles of Dante's Hell. I believe he was one of the demons that hung around the boiling river of blood and guarded the souls that were doomed to stand for all eternity in that blood. It was also his job to rake them with grappling hooks if those souls thought it was a good idea to try and sneak out of the boiling river. Gruesome, isn't it? If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It's so wonderfully deranged. And just FYI, Malacoda translates to 'Bad Ass' in the Inferno.

Until I get some sleep again!

-Raha-


	11. Familiar Cages

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Eleven: Familiar Cages**

* * *

"Did you just curse again?" said Kyo, arching an eyebrow. Tohru shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

"I have a good reason..." she answered, and stiffened, hearing the eerie wailing become louder and closer.

"Artemis, do you have—" Artemis pulled a six-shot, long muzzled pistol from a pocket and threw it to Tohru. She grabbed it easily from the air, cocked it, and turned towards the front door.

"All of you, go through the door! Hurry!" she cried.

"Tohru, what—?"

"There's no time! GO!" Tohru yelled, pushing Kisa and Hiro through the door, trying to be heard over the horrible screams rising in the air.

Hatori felt something dark crawling around the edges of his mind. It was hard to move, hard to think about anything but that all encompassing fear swirling like fog around him... Suddenly everything went black, he couldn't hear, he couldn't breath, and he felt like he was drowning, suffocating, dying...

Something struck him hard in the back. He gasped and staggered forward, his eyes snapping open. He realized he had his hands pressed over his ears, and he slowly lowered them, hearing the wails and screams become louder, and something dark was crawling at the edge of his mind...

"Hatori!"

He knew that voice. That was Tohru.

"HATORI!" He looked around, and saw Tohru staring up at him with wide eyes, her hands gripping his shoulders. She shook him again.

"Hatori, listen to me. Don't shut your eyes, Hatori! Now listen, I need your help!"

"Help...?" He heard himself say. He felt himself slipping again, felt something horrible wrapping itself around his soul... Something struck his face. He gasped again and reached up to touch his stinging cheek, staring incredulously at Tohru.

"...sorry about that," she was saying. "Dr. Sohma, I need your help!" Something clicked in Hatori's mind. Nurses called him that a lot, and it usually meant that someone was in trouble.

"What do you need help with?" he said automatically, his mind focusing solely on the task at hand, and ignored the keening cries that surrounded them.

"Get those people through that door in the air," said Tohru, motioning to the other people in the room. Some were on their knees, but most were still standing. Their mouths were open in silent screams, their hands pressed tightly over their ears. "Make those people move. Don't let them close their eyes or stop breathing, Hatori! I don't care how you do it, hit them, scream at them, push them, just make them move through that window!"

Hatori nodded and went to the closest person on the ground. He gripped his shoulders and pulled him up, shaking him.

"Get up, sir. On your feet, now. What's your name?" Hatori asked, trying to make the man respond. The man just stared at him uncomprehendingly, his eyes dull. He wasn't breathing. Hatori slapped him and the man jumped, heaving for air. "What's your name, sir?" Hatori asked again.

"Sh-Shigure..." murmured the man. He sagged against Hatori, his eyes hooded. Hatori shoved him towards the door.

"Where do you live, Shigure?"

"H-here, in this h-house..."

"Where are we going Shigure?" Hatori said. He didn't know why he had asked such a silly question, but for some reason he knew he had to keep Shigure talking.

"I-I don't know..."

"Think. You must know where we're going."

"To hell..."

"Yeah, we all will someday. What do you do for a living?"

"I... I... I write. I'm a novelist." Something seemed to awaken in the man. His eyes cleared and he straightened himself. By now they had reached the door and Hatori pushed Shigure through. Shigure stood in the sand and looked around unseeingly, lost in his own world. Hatori went back for another person. There was one not a few steps to his right. He was standing up, eyes shut, jaws clenched tightly, ears covered. Hatori shook him and began pulling him towards the window, but he wouldn't move.

"Sir, what's your name?" The boy wouldn't answer. Hatori hit him and shook him, but still the boy wouldn't respond. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, his mouth opening in a wordless shriek. Hatori sent his foot flying into the boy's stomach. The boy grunted, and instinctively put out a hand to steady himself, his eyes snapping open. He glared up at Hatori, panting hard, and began coughing. Hatori pulled him to his feet and pushed him towards the door.

"What is your name, sir?" he repeated. The boy's cough escalated as he shot an annoyed look at Hatori.

"Akito... Sohma..." he gasped finally.

"You're in good hands now, Akito. Just a few more steps..." Akito staggered through the door and lurched to his hands and knees in the sand, fighting now for breath. Hatori fought the urge to assist him further and turned away. He had a job to do, and he felt that, somehow, this was far more important, even though he didn't understand why.

One by one, Hatori got the rest, Ayame, Ritsu, Kyo, Kagura, Isuzu, Yuki, Kureno, Momiji, and Hatsuharu, through to the other world, just as Tohru returned and pushed him in as well.

"Every one's in. Make sure they stay here, Hatori. I'll be right back!" said Tohru, and the door closed. Hatori immediately snapped back to reality. Everything came back into focus as he looked around to find himself suddenly on a strange beach. He remembered what had happened as his eyes slowly scanned his surroundings. Akito was the first person he noticed. He was on his hands and knees, coughing hard now, and clutching his midriff. Hatori uneasily approached him and knelt down next to the boy, wondering vaguely if Akito's memory was as sharp as his.

"Akito-sama...?" Akito pushed him away, catching his breath, and stood shakily.

"I'm fine. No thanks to _you_." _So he does remember..._ Hatori thought ruefully.

"I... apologize, Akito-sama... for hurting you." he said quietly, and waited for Akito's explosion. But it never came. Akito didn't say a word. He looked irritated, but all he did was sit back and shut his eyes. Hatori wasn't sure what to think, but he was fairly sure he had been dismissed. Slowly he stepped away, wondering if Akito would call him back. When he didn't, Hatori went to check on his friends.

Shigure was sitting in the sand, staring dazedly out over the waves. Ayame was next to him, and was perched uncomfortably on a rock, having refused to get his clothes messed up by sitting on the ground, with a look of mortified distaste.

"All this sand is going to ruin my shoes, I just know it... Ha'ri! There you are! I was looking for you!" Ayame called, and beckoned him over.

"I've been here the whole time," said Hatori in his usual phlegmatic tone. Ayame ignored this and grasped his hands. Hatori raised his eyebrows, resisting the urge to blanch, and tried to back away, but Ayame wouldn't have it.

"Hatori, I want to thank you," Ayame said seriously, which made Hatori pause. "You saved my life back there. I thought I was going to die, but then there you were, and somehow you got me out of there. So thank you."

"Me too, Ha'ri, thanks." said Shigure, looking up at him with a fond smile.

The other Sohmas, excluding Akito, Kisa, and Hiro, looked at Hatori, opening their mouths to thank him as well, but he waved his hands, saying, "You should all save your thanks for Tohru-san. Without her help I wouldn't have been able to do anything at all." They all looked around.

"Where is Tohru...?" said Momiji.

"She said she would be here, and that we should wait for her return." Hatori informed him coolly.

"What if she doesn't come...?" said Momiji. "What if we're stuck in another universe forever? What if—"

"That's enough, Momiji. Don't worry, she'll come ba—" Yuki broke off because a door opened and Tohru tumbled through, and whipped around, her gun pointed back into their world. Something stepped through. Something that made the Sohmas freeze in horror. It was a skeletal creature, human looking, but not quite. It had no eyes, just blank and empty sockets, but somehow it seemed to stare at Tohru with frightening intensity. It sucked in air through a wide, gaping hole lined with jagged, silver teeth. Flesh was hanging off its body in strips, revealing a mechanical skeleton beneath.

Hatori felt his heart squeeze. There, in the thing's ribcage, was a small girl no older than Kisa. She wore no clothes, so Hatori could see clearly the blood that covered her small body. She was impaled on one of the ribs, her legs hanging down and swaying uselessly back and forth as the thing walked. She was so thin that her skin was stretched tightly over her bones, so that she hardly even looked human anymore. Suddenly, her wide, bloodshot eyes snapped open, making the Sohmas reel back in horror; they had been sure that she was dead. Those eyes didn't belong to a child. Perhaps once they had, but not anymore. The girl slowly raised its head and stared through the cage, reaching out a spider-like hand towards Tohru through the ribs.

"Mama...?" it asked. Tohru shook, her gun pointed straight at the girl's head. _It isn't human anymore..._ she thought frantically. _It's not even alive... that child doesn't want to be trapped in there... she doesn't want to do this...  
_  
"Mama?" said the girl again, her eyes boring into Tohru's, her walking cage staggering closer. _Just shoot her... it won't hurt her very long... just shoot, and get it over with..._ Now the thing was only a few steps away, the girl's outstretched fingers inches from Tohru's face.

"Ren, what are you doing?!" screamed Artemis, his voice tight with fear.

"Mama?!"

_Free her..._ Tohru closed her eyes, and pulled the trigger. The girl was blown back against the cage's spine, and began to thrash, screaming and screaming and screaming... Tohru staggered towards the girl and fired into her again and again until the child's cries ceased. Tohru fell back onto her knees, watching as the girl sagged back and closed her eyes with a sigh. Her body dissolved into dust that was blown away in the wind, leaving only the cage, which was quietly falling apart in the sand. Tohru rose unsteadily to her feet. Artemis jumped down in front of her, his eyes snapping furiously.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, LETTING IT GET SO CLOSE TO YOU?!" he bellowed in her face, making her reel back in surprise. "DON'T YOU _EVER_ DO THAT AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR ME?"

"Hey! Back off!" yelled Kyo angrily. "You aren't helping by yelling at her!" Artemis let out a wordless snarl and stormed away to disappear among the trees.

"It's okay, Kyo-kun," said Tohru when Kyo began to go after the demon, in mind of breaking a few of his bones. "I just scared him. And he's right, I shouldn't have let it get so close..." She paused and swayed slightly. "E- excuse me..." she murmured and tottered off into the trees to throw up. The Sohmas didn't say a word until she returned. Tohru paused, noticing all their eyes upon her, and felt obligated to say something.

"I... I'm sorry you had to see that..." she said softly and fell silent, her eyes on the cage. Kyo took one look at her and could see that she was about to break. He took her chin in his hand and turned her face so that she was looking him straight in the eye.

"You didn't do anything wrong, understand? If you hadn't killed it, I'm sure we all would have died. You did what you had to do, so stop tearing yourself up about it." He said firmly, in a voice that said he would tolerate no arguments. Tohru, blushing, nodded and followed him back to join the others. She sank down tiredly next to Yuki, Kyo seating himself on her other side. It was awhile before she would say anything and they didn't push it. Tohru clenched her fists in her lap, her eyes drifting back towards the cage.

"I _hate_ killing them..." she said softly.

"Didn't I just tell you not to tear yourself up about it?!" Kyo reprimanded. Tohru let out a hollow laugh.

"You're right. I can't help it, though. I've killed them before, and I always feel the same afterwards..."

"You've... killed them before...?" whispered Momiji.

"Yeah... It's the only way to make them stop... The Angels create them, and send them out to hunt down certain people. They're quite _efficient_ at killing people, Angels," said Tohru, her eyes growing hard. "It doesn't matter who. I wouldn't be surprised if they killed that familiar's Companion..."

"What's a Companion?" asked Kisa, edging closer to Tohru, who put an arm around her comfortingly.

"Me. I'm a Companion. That's a person who has a familiar, like Rahallion. But... when a familiar's Companion dies... the familiar becomes what is called a poltergeist. They're incredibly powerful. They can induce nightmares in anyone they touch, and can even cause them to go mad. I've seen people who..." Tohru stopped and shook her head, as if shaking away some dark memory. "Anyway, a while ago, the Angels figured out a way to harness that power. They do something to the poltergeist's mind, and then put them in those... living imprisonments... called Familiar Cages. Then the poltergeist will hunt for one particular person forever until they kill that person, or until they are killed themselves."

"What happens to the poltergeists if they complete their mission?" asked Shigure in hushed voice.

"Don't know. The Angels do something to them, because no one poltergeist is ever seen twice. The Angels have been trying to remedy that for years, now. Last time I checked, they hadn't succeeded. Yet."

"Three days ago..." said Haru slowly, changing the subject. "Rahallion had said that more than three had returned... They were Angels, weren't they?" Tohru gave him a faintly surprised look and nodded.

"That's right. They've actually been defeated before."

"How?"

"Oh... um, well, I was the one that figured out how to eradicate them in the first place," said Tohru, and all the Sohmas looked at her with renewed awe. She blushed and continued, "We had to cut off their wings last time. Then they turned back into humans..."

"Ren, we ought to move out now. If we're already being attacked by the Cages, then the Angels aren't far behind." Tohru looked up to see Artemis standing a few feet away from them, his ears flat against his skull. He wouldn't look at her.

"Artemis, my name isn't Ren anymore. It's _Tohru_. If we're going back to Hirofuriae, then you'd best start using it. 'Ren' calls too much attention to itself." A strange look passed over Artemis's face. His ears fell even lower for a second and then perked back up.

"Tohru..." he said, rolling it on his tongue.

"Tohru Honda."

"Right. I'll remember that."

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: Look to the chapter prior to the previous chapter before this one**

Thanks to everyone that reviewed!!!! I'll love you forever!!!! And yes, this chapter was a little earlier than I told you it would be. I didn't really expect to get another one out for a few days yet. Ah, well, such is the cost of inspiration... This was a bit more morbid than the others, though, wouldn't you say? Don't worry, the next chapter will be along the same lines, but the story will brighten up after that. I'm usually not so dark. And I'm sorry that Tohru was cursing in the previous chapter. I don't believe anyone is mad at me, but it is a little out of character. But as you can see, she _did_ have a good reason.

Thanks again to Cor-chan for giving me helpful bits of advice on Isuzu! I've updated chapter 10! If there's anything else I will be sure to tell you!

On a completely different note that every one should really disregard, except Gliere who in reality is my best friend, unless they want to be completely confused:

MOMMY! Thanks so much for reading; it makes me absolutely happy and wonderful! I miss you a lot. Tear. Tell me more of what you think of it! And also tell me who you think I should pair Tohru with, Kyo or Yuki. I've actually already made up my mind, but I want your opinion.

What's my present??? Tell me, tell me, tell me!!! TELL MEEEEEE!!!! **jumps up and down** I'll be dying from curiosity if you don't, you know I will. I'm going to be very put out with you if you don't tell me. **Tries to look threatening  
**  
Anyway, have fun at D&D. You'll probably die without me there, though. Oh well...

I'm fine here. Hope your face gets better. (I hope you don't take that the wrong way... but then again... heh, heh.)

Until I am much inspired once more!

-Raha-

P.S. Gone Fishing


	12. The Demon's Real Intent

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twelve: The Demon's Real Intent**

* * *

Tohru nodded and stood up. Her eyes fell on the empty cage for a moment, and then she turned slowly to Artemis.

"Artemis? Why didn't you shoot her...?" she asked in a small voice. The demon froze, looking surprised. He hadn't expected that question and was caught off guard.

"I mean, if you were so worried about me being touched, then..." Tohru trailed off, suspicion creeping into her eyes. "Artemis. May I see your gun, please?" Artemis instinctively grabbed the butt of his musket, now looking distinctively uncomfortable.

"Wh-why?" he demanded. "Wh-what do you want to see it for?"

"Just because," said Tohru, stepping closer. Artemis flashed it at her from behind his back, stumbling away several paces.

"There. You saw it. Can we go now?" he snapped.

"Hand it over, Wolfy." Tohru ordered, holding out her hand.

"Don't call me Wolfy! You know I hate it! And I'm not giving you my gun so you can just kiss my—" Tohru jumped forward and seized the musket.

"NO!" Artemis yelled, making a wild grab for the gun. Tohru turned her back on him and popped out three bullets, catching them in the air. There was silence for a minute as Tohru examined the bullets in her hands.

"Oh, I see now. You know Artemis..." She turned her head to give the demon a half-lidded stare, and in one fluid motion, reloaded the musket, aimed it at Artemis's retreating back, and fired right between his shoulder blades. Artemis fell flat on his face with a yowl, while the Sohmas stared, once again, in flabbergasted shock. "It's kind of hard to _kill_ anything, when you're using rubber bullets." Tohru finished loudly, squeezing a bullet between her thumb and forefinger.

"Don't do that!" cried Artemis angrily. "Those things can be _dangerous_ fired so close!" Tohru advanced on the demon.

"You never intended to kill the Sohmas at all, did you? You were just trying to scare them into coming with us without arguing, weren't you? And no one would be able to ever call your bluff, because you _knew_ I would think you were the type of person that would do that, and you also knew that _I_ was the type of person that would never allow you to do such a thing as killing the entire Sohma Family!" Tohru's voice rose, her eyes gleaming.

"I'll bet you were planning on switching the fake bullets with real ones when nobody was looking, but you're little plan backfired on you, didn't it? You weren't expecting a Familiar Cage to attack, and when it did, you still had the _wrong bullets_! _That's_ why you didn't shoot the poltergeist! _That's_ why you got scared! And _that's_ why you then became furious and yelled at me! You were never angry with me... you were angry at yourself... because you couldn't protect me..." Tohru had stopped, and she was looking at Artemis strangely. Her voice had dropped as the realization of what she had just said hit her.

Artemis was looking away from her, his eyes hidden behind his bangs, his cheeks flushing, and his fists clenched. Suddenly, his lip curled as he bared his fangs. He whirled on Tohru, his eyes bright with fury.

"Don't you _dare_ confuse me with some sniveling, spineless, pathetic excuse for a snot-rag human being with a bleeding-heart, like some of your _friends_ here." he snarled scathingly. Kyo, Yuki, Haru, Hiro, Kagura, and Isuzu turned on the demon with furious cries. Hatori gave the demon a half- lidded glare, his face perfectly calm, while Shigure pretended to look upset, and Ayame looked affronted. Akito glared coldly in the demon's direction. Kureno's mask of calm never slipped. The only ones that actually looked genuinely hurt were Ritsu and Kisa.

"That was uncalled for, Artemis," Tohru said quietly before any of them could say something. "Don't drag them into this, it doesn't concern them..."

"Oh, but it _does_. Don't think I wouldn't have shot them. I just didn't realize the bullets were fake..."

"But then, why didn't you want to give me the gun...?"

"Because I didn't want you touching it, dammit!" Artemis burst out, blushing profusely. Tohru stared at him in surprise and perplexity, and then smiled softly.

"Okay, Artemis, I believe you," she said and gave him back the musket. Artemis and the Sohmas stared at her in shock.

"Huh?" said Artemis intelligently, completely taken aback.

"Come on, we'd better get moving. We'll drop by Shiolin and get some horses, first, and then set out in the morning for the castle. Oh, and you'd better put _real_ bullets in you're gun from now on." And without another word she opened a door, this time into a grassy field, and walked through, glancing back over her shoulder.

"Are you coming?" she called. Artemis blinked, not really sure what had happened, and followed after her. Yuki and Kyo glanced at one another, glanced at the cage, and walked through the door without a word, the others a few steps behind them. Isuzu caught up with Tohru.

"We're riding to the castle?" she asked.

"Yeah, we have to. The castle is at least three days from here, if you walk. On horseback, it should be about a day and a half, if we ride fast, that is. It might be longer. Plus, we'll have to deal with the terrain..." Tohru trailed off, looking around thoughtfully. "Hey, Artemis? Which way is the town?" she called. Artemis put his nose to the wind, turning his head slowly. Suddenly he bounded away, powerful legs sending him flying through the air at least fifteen or twenty feet at a time.

Seconds later he came to a rest at the top of a hill, and stood there, looking around, his ears swiveling in every direction. Then he came leaping back and skidded to a halt in front of Tohru.

"There's a road just beyond that hill. If we follow it north, it'll take us to Shiolin in a few hours, if we walk that is," Artemis said. He looked around, noticing the Sohmas open-mouthed stares in his direction. "What?" he demanded in irritation.

"Wow... You're really _fast_..." breathed Kisa without thinking. Then she shut her mouth with a snap, staring at Artemis with wide eyes. She remembered that this was the person that had threatened to kill them all, that had said he would have no qualms about it, and now she had just complimented him. The demon blinked down at her in mild surprise, and one of his ears twitched. For some reason, Kisa didn't find him very frightening anymore. And she wanted to touch his ears...

"Well, I _am_ a demon..." snarled Artemis, trying his utmost best to cover the fact that he was pleased by sounding annoyed and condescending. He almost succeeded. Kisa shrunk away and Hiro took her hand, giving Artemis a death-glare. The other Sohmas, except Akito, stiffened, not liking the way the demon had spoken to one their youngest members. Shigure was the only one that had seen through the mask, and was looking thoughtfully at Artemis, a small smile tugging the corners of his mouth. He'd had a lot of practice, being around Kyo and Yuki so much, and from creating his own mask of deceit. Haru, on the other hand, looked furious and began advancing on the demon, his fists raised.

"I wouldn't recommend that." Artemis informed him with a haughty look. "Being a demon gives me some advantage over you in hand-to-hand combat. I could snap your spine if I so wished."

"Oh, yeah?" demanded Haru loudly. "I'd like to see you try, you bastard!" Artemis stepped back slightly, blinking in surprised perplexity.

"Oh great, he's turned into Black Haru..." the demon heard someone mutter. Black Haru? Obviously, this was no longer the mild-mannered, quiet boy that, up until this point, he had dismissed as one of the shy types that wouldn't be likely to cause him any problems. He had anticipated trouble from the orange-haired boy, whom Tohru had addressed as Kyo, not the black-and-white-haired youth, Haru he presumed, standing before him, currently looking like he was about to attack.

Which he did. Artemis watched as the boy sprung up to bring his fist down with surprising force, for a human. Artemis caught it, noting with some admiration the strength the boy possessed, twisted deftly, and Haru ended up flat on his back.

"I _told_ you," Artemis smirked, looking fairly smug. Haru jumped to his feet.

"You call that an _attack_?" he laughed. "It didn't even _hurt_!" And again, the Ox rushed the demon, this time coming at him with a vicious scissor kick to his spine. Artemis seized Haru's foot, ducked, and threw Haru into the ground face first. Haru leapt up again, snarling in fury.

"You better start fighting for real, or I'm _really_ gonna hurt you!" he shouted.

"Isn't that what you've been trying to do?"

"Shut up you son of a bit—" Haru was cut off, for at that moment, Tohru stepped up and hugged him from behind. Haru's eyes widened as he felt her arms wrap around his waist for the split second before the Curse took hold and, with an explosion and a puff of smoke, Haru the cow was left standing there in utter confusion and shock. The other Sohmas were staring at Tohru in horror. She had never hugged one of them voluntarily, with the exception of Hiro once, and _never_ in the presence of a stranger. Tohru drew back from Haru.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking at him ruefully. "But we can't afford any delays, we _must_ get to Shiolin soon. And you would have gotten hurt much worse if you had continued with your fight."

"Tohru..." gasped Yuki, shaking now. "Y-you just... what... what about... Artemis...?"

"Huh?' said Tohru, glancing at Artemis, who didn't look in the least fazed at seeing Haru turn into a cow. "What about him...?"

"What do you mean, 'what about him'?!" cried Kyo, his voice unusually high. "He _saw_, didn't he? You just...! You just...!"

"Kyo, Artemis already knows that you all turn into animals." Tohru said softly. "I'm sorry, I forgot I hadn't told you that."

"You told him...?" whispered the Cat, looking confused and hurt and betrayed. "You said you'd never..." Tohru took a step back, looking over their faces, watching as the realization of what she had done sunk in. All of them were staring at her with the same looks of shock and hurt. She had expected this. She had known it would happen, and had steeled herself against it. But it still hurt. The betrayal in Yuki and Kyo's face. The pain in Hatori's. The shock in Shigure's and Ayame's. The disbelief in Momiji's and Kisa's and Kagura's. The fury in Hiro's. The fear in Ritsu's. The horror in Isuzu's and Kureno's. And the triumph in Akito's. It hurt so much, and for a second Tohru felt miserable and ashamed.

"She didn't tell me." Artemis said, folding his arms. The Sohmas looked up at him.

"Oh...?" said Akito coldly. "If she didn't, who did?"

"Rahallion. We needed to know everything we could about you, and when Tohru refused to tell, we turned to Raha. He, fortunately, was not so stupid." Relief swept over the Sohmas like a wave. Tohru had not betrayed them.

"Who are you calling stupid?" Kyo shouted, regaining his old self. Tohru let out a slow sigh. The look he and Yuki had been giving her had been the worst. She never wanted them to look like that again. Like their souls had broken.

"Why did you need information on us?" asked Akito. Artemis rolled his eyes at him.

"Think, fool! The Angels _already_ know about you, including your Curse. We _have_ to know _everything_ they do, or else that gives them the advantage. With me so far?" Akito glared at him, looking livid.

"Who else knows?" he hissed, his voice dripping with venom.

"Hmm, let's see... Aside from Tohru, Raha and myself... Lucifer, Noctifer, Val, Millie, and Grumman. I'm betting Farinata knows, and Metatron, and of course Madame de Morangias."

"_Madame de Morangias_?" Kyo snorted.

"She's French," answered Artemis flatly. "She's also the First Angel, and the equivalent of God in your universe. At least in title."

"She's... _God_?" breathed Momiji after a hushed silence.

"God's a woman...?" snickered Kyo, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"What's so funny? Why shouldn't God be a woman?" Kagura demanded while looming over him threateningly.

"I never said God shouldn't be a woman!" Kyo cried, backing up and looking alarmed.

"Morangias is an imposter," said Artemis, cutting short the impending fight. "She isn't really God. She's the First Angel ever to be created, and has convinced people that she is the 'Divine Creator', so she's given immense power and respect by all the people in Hirofuriae. That's where her stronghold is. Metatron is Morangias's most loyal minion and servant. And Farinata—" Artemis broke off then because Haru had just transformed back, making Tohru squeak and whirl around, her hands over her eyes. Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"You still do that?" He asked her curiously. "I would think you've seen them naked so many times that you'd be used to it by now." Yuki and Kyo both gave him disgusted looks.

"Well, I'm not..." Tohru replied, her hands still over her eyes.

"Who is this Farinata?" said Hatori after Haru had dressed again.

"He was the man that figured out how to separate people from their unconscious minds... If anyone should be named God, it's him, if you ask me. He's the one that created Angels and demons in the first place, and started this whole mess."

"And who are the other people you mentioned?" Shigure wanted to know.

"Lucifer you already know. He is the King of Hell and Master of all Demons. Noctifer is his brother, and partner in ruling Hell. Val is an old friend of ours, and is in charge of the reconnaissance efforts. General Grumman Savage is the Combat and Weapons Master, and is currently in charge of training our troops. Millie translates all the old scrolls and books and such that we've been able to steal from the Angels."

"And what is _you're_ purpose...?" asked Akito, a sharp edge to his voice.

"I protect Re... Tohru... in our fights against the Angels." Artemis answered, wondering where Akito was going with this.

"I see... It's not a job that requires brains, that's for certain, so I suppose that makes sense."

"Look you—!" the demon started furiously, but Tohru inserted herself between Artemis and Akito.

"Artemis, I think we should start to get going, if we want to reach Shiolin by nightfall," Tohru told the demon, while Akito looked smug behind her back. Artemis shot him a death-glare.

"I don't think all of us should be on the road," he said tightly. "It's too dangerous. Here it's sheltered. The road would be too open for attack."

"What do you think we should do?" asked Tohru. "We have to get to Shiolin and get supplies and horses."

"I think the Sohmas should stay here, while we go to Shiolin, get the horses, and come back." There was an instant outburst at this proposal.

"But that'll take even longer! We'll be back _way_ after dark!" Tohru protested.

"I'm not going to be stuck here for hours with that damn Rat!" Kyo barked.

"I'm not staying here while you go off and do who knows what to our little flower!" Shigure cried.

"I don't want to be stuck here with nothing to do! It'll be so boring!" Momiji whined.

"You can't leave! What if something attacks us?" Ritsu gasped.

"There's no way in hell I'll stay here if that Cat's here. I won't be able to stand it." Isuzu snorted.

"What, are you just going to _abandon_ us here, where anything could happen?" Hiro demanded.

"No, please don't leave me behind again!" Kisa begged.

"But what if something should happen to you two?" Kureno worried.

"Stay in the _woods_? With no clean places to sit? My clothes will get _ruined_!" Ayame lamented.

"I don't want to be out here when it gets dark! We can't even start a fire!" Kagura exclaimed.

"What are we supposed to do until you get back, may I ask?" Haru queried.

"That's out of the question." Hatori said.

"If it's too dangerous on the road, then you shouldn't be going alone. You would have strength in numbers if some us came as well." Yuki stated.

"Would you just _SHU-UT UP_!!!" Artemis roared, elongating his words to make the point, and all the Sohmas immediately silenced, staring at him, some with surprise and some with stubborn determination. "Look, we're going and we're leaving you here and that's that! So deal with it! And we won't be long, maybe an hour or so, so don't have a cow. No offense," he added to Haru, who shrugged.

"None taken." Artemis blinked, opened his mouth, decided it was better not to comment, and shut it again. Whatever had possessed the Ox was gone now, and Artemis wasn't going to waste time by asking questions.

"You said it was only going to take an hour, but walking it takes several hours, round trip," Tohru pointed out. "And Raha can't carry us, he's going to stay here stand guard. So how do you propose we do this...?" Artemis took her wrist and pulled her into his arms. "Like this." And he bent down and he kissed her on the mouth.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: Look to the chapter prior to the previous, previous chapter before this one (Does that even make sense...? Sorry, I'm confusing myself...)**

Oh, cliffie! Wonder what she'll do...? Wonder what Kyo and Yuki will do? Heh, heh, heh. Actually I do know, but I'm no-ot tel-ling! Anyway, I. MUST. HAVE. MORE. REVIEEEEEWS!!!!! Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far! I love you!

And yes, I said this chapter was to be dark, but I changed my mind. Please be patient with me, I do that a lot. But there will be one other chapter, if not more, that is going to be pretty dark, just not this one. Someday.

Anyway, I went fishing yesterday. We caught like... eight? Not very many, if you consider that on a good day you can catch twenty or thirty. I'm going to the beach tomorrow, so I hope the fishing will be better. Today was a day off to catch up on sleep and stuff. Maybe I might write tomorrow if I'm not too tired, but I don't think so. Look for me again in a day or two.

By the way, Ren, Rahallion and Artemis are actually characters in a novel I'm writing (Why yes, I AM a novelist. I love saying that.), using the inner demon thing, and I was thinking of posting it on the internet, maybe a few chapters, so I can get some feedback. It's very hard being a budding writer, and not even know what people think about it. Of course, my friends think it's awesome, but they don't really count. Sorry friends! But I need objective opinions. But I was rather worried about the copy write issue. I don't want people to steal my story, you know? I don't show it, but I think disclaimers are a good idea. So, my question was, if you post things on this website as an original work, is there a sort of copy write that prohibits people from stealing the story? I know people steal ideas all the time, but I don't want anyone copying and pasting and then putting their name on it. Tell me if you know, it would be much appreciated!

And, in response to Gliere:

Tell my mother I am fine here and that it's much better, thank you. Hey, there's a bug on my screen... Anyway! YOU'RE GETTING A _JOB_?!?!?!?!?!? O.o Whenwherewhowhyhow?!?!?!? That's AMAZING! And I am NOT confused in Algebra. I just find it vaguely perplexing. And thank you for the advice on Yuki and Kyo. I'll look into that. I'm actually in agreement with you, now that I think about it. See you later, love you lots!

-Raha-


	13. The Grand Adventures Of Ayame And Tohru

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Thirteen: The Grand Adventures Of Ayame And Tohru**

* * *

At first, as Yuki watched Artemis claim so easily what he had so dearly wanted all this time, he wasn't quite sure of how to react. One part of him wanted to scream out in agonized fury, to attack, to tear into the demon and twist his head off like a bloody top. Another part of him was more reasonable, though, and frantically whispered in the back of his mind that there was probably a very good explanation as to why the demon was violating Tohru. Another part of him was still stuck on the fact that Tohru was being kissed by someone else other than him. These opposing sides tore Yuki in every direction and the result was that his brain shut itself down for several seconds as he ingested the scene taking place before him.

Kyo couldn't believe what he was seeing. Of all the things he had expected, this was _not_ one of them. Fury welled up in his throat like bile, and he realized his stomach was trying to reject what little food it had at the moment, which was not much as he had skipped breakfast. But an emotion other than rage was also stirring with in him. In some dark, deep corner of his mind, he felt something he thought he would never, not in a million years, experience in a situation like this, so it was a few moments before he discerned what it was. Relief. Because at least... it wasn't that damned Rat. This unprecedented emotion took Kyo by almost as much of a surprise as seeing the demon kissing Tohru, but _he_ was not at a loss for words...

"YOU SON OF A BITCH—!!!" the Cat screamed.

...Regardless of how intellectually destitute those words were.

All of the Cat's and the Rat's inner turmoil happened in a fraction of a second, and just as Kyo had yelled, a blast of wind roared up out nowhere beneath Artemis and Tohru's feet, billowing their clothes about, and Artemis seemed to blow apart, looking and sounding like thousands and thousands of tiny shells, and pushing Tohru back forcefully. The shells, mostly dark brown in color, but also tan and gray and black, reformed themselves and solidified almost instantaneously, starting from the black nose and running down to the end of the bushy tail. Tohru, who had landed on her backside with a graceless thump, was staring up at Artemis in complete and total flabbergasted shock. Her white eyes were round as saucers, her mouth was open in a silent "Ah...!", her brain was spiraling down on a crash and burn course, unable to comprehend for several moments what had just happened.

The Sohmas were in much the same state, and were staring open mouthed at the being before them. Kyo and Yuki, especially, were in total chaos. Artemis cast an amused eye over them all, shook himself a little, and then looked down in perplexity at Tohru. His confusion soon turned to annoyance when Tohru continued to stare at him like he had just turned into a very large wolf... Which he had. Standing six feet high at the withers, Artemis was now an intimidating and awesome sight to behold, if he wasn't before. And, really, he wasn't.

Shigure couldn't help but cast an admiring look over him, despite being shocked out of his mind, noting the wolf-demon's magnificent build and look. His coat was of a luxurious dark brown, with gray scattered throughout and tan on his throat, legs, underside, jowls, and edging his eyes, all of it well-kempt and shining. He had strong jaws; six-inch white canines fitting together with his other teeth back to front in a perfect scissor-bite, set in a wide, massive head. Long, powerful legs supported a muscular, keel-like chest and sinewy flanks. His feet were large, the forepaws sporting five short black claws, while his hind feet had only four.

Artemis in wolf form was indeed a sight to behold. Particularly when he was annoyed, because he pushed his ears forward, his tail arched upwards, and his eyes fixed on Tohru.

"Why the hell are you staring at me like that? You've seen me transform dozens of times before," he snapped. "Now get up, you look like an idiot." Tohru jumped and clambered hastily to her feet, shaken out of her trance.

"I-I'm sorry..." she answered vaguely, still in super-shocked mode.

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Kyo demanded at once, his infamous temper flaring up, without thinking of who he was addressing. Artemis turned emotionless golden orbs on the Cat and Kyo shut up at once, suddenly wondering what it would feel like to have teeth meet in his throat.

"How come you transformed when you kissed her...?" asked Momiji breathlessly. "Are you cursed, too? Like us?"

"It's rather hard to curse a demon," Artemis answered, snorting derisively.

"So that's a no?"

"Obviously."

"But then... what are you, if you're not cursed?"

"It's complicated. Maybe Tohru can explain it to you later, but now isn't the time." With that, the demon turned to Tohru.

"I'll let you ride, this once, as haste is in need. But don't get used to it. We'll reach Shiolin in about half an hour," Artemis said flatly. Tohru hesitated, her hand on her chin, looking thoughtful.

"I think one of the Sohmas should come with us," she said finally.

"Absolutely NOT." Artemis said immediately. "They would only slow me down, and people would get suspicious with the clothes they're wearing. Plus the Angels are searching for them, and I expect them to have agents posted in Shiolin."

"They wouldn't be recognized if they were in their Zodiac form! And what if something were to happen to us? We'd have no way of alerting anyone here and then we'd really be in trouble... If we took one of them, they may be able to get a message back through the local animals." Tohru pointed out reasonably.

"You forget I'm a demon. Nothing can happen while I'm around," Artemis retorted.

"But you can't enter the village, right? What if something happened to me, say I was kidnapped. You might not know until too late. If one of the Sohmas came, they could warn you." Artemis paused, unable to come up with any other plausible arguments.

"What about Raha...?" he snapped desperately. "Wouldn't he know if..."

"Raha would be out of range. We lose contact if we're too far apart, remember?" Tohru said quickly, her eyes gleaming with triumph. Artemis let out a sigh of defeat and finally nodded.

"Alright," he growled, grudgingly. "But they have to be _small_, enough so that they can hide in a pocket or something." Yuki, who had been listening intently, along with his cousins, stepped up automatically when he heard that.

"I'm the Rat, small enough so that I won't be seen," he said, not missing the scowl that had come to Kyo's face. "I'll gladly accompany Honda-san." And then he stopped when Tohru slowly shook her head. "H-Honda-san...?"

"I'm really sorry, Yuki-kun, but... See, you can fight. If anything were to... to happen... Not that it would, mind you, but _if_... I would need you here to help protect everyone... Do you understand? I _wish_ you could go, I really do, but I need you here the most." Tohru said softly, looking both regretful and apologetic.

"I... I understand, Honda-san..." replied Yuki quietly after a stunned silence. Tohru gave him a kind and encouraging smile, but Yuki did not want her kindness. All he wanted was to be with her, but apparently that was not possible at the moment. But it wasn't her fault, so he wouldn't complain.

"Well, as Yuki is to stay here, that leaves only two people," said Shigure cheerfully. "Ha'ri, I would think, is out of the question. So it comes down to..."

"Ayame-san." said Tohru, turning to the Snake, who started in surprise.

"What? _Me_? You want me to come with you, Tohru-kun?" he gasped, his eyes wide.

"If you will," she answered hesitantly, as if unsure as to whether or not he would agree. "You don't have to, but... You're the only one that can, it seems."

"So... You need me? You really need me?!" he cried, looking excited and flattered.

"She doesn't _need_ you!" Kyo snarled in outrage. "You just happen to be _convenient_, that's all!"

"Oh, Kyon-Kyon-"

"Don't call me Kyon-Kyon! I've told you!" Kyo shouted indignantly.

"--don't be ridiculous!" Ayame babbled without missing a beat, waving a hand. "Of _course_ Tohru-kun needs me! And yes, I would love to come! It'll be such a wonderful adventure! People, Shii-chan I imagine, will write books about us! _The Grand Adventures of Ayame and Tohru_ they'll call it, and it will sell by the millions!"

"Why, yes, now that _does_ sound interesting!" Shigure cried, joining in for attention. "I'll start on it right away, after this mess is cleared up, of course! You'll have to give me all the juicy details, Aaya, that happen between you and our little Tohru-kun—"

**"What details?"** Yuki intoned dangerously, his voice suddenly deeper and very frightening.

"You better shut that filthy mouth of yours before I tear your jaw off and make you _eat_ it." Kyo threatened, advancing on the Dog, who shrunk away and scurried behind Hatori, who looked both restrained and resigned.

"Help me Ha'ri! They're scaring me...!" squeaked Shigure. Hatori ignored him as usual. Tohru shook her head with a sigh, and turned seriously to Ayame.

"I was wondering, Ayame-san, does your ability to commune with snakes have a range limit?"

"Why, yes, I believe so... Why do you ask, Tohru-kun?"

"How far is the range distance? Do you know?"

"Hm, you know, I never really thought about that. I don't know how far it is, I'm afraid, and I still don't know what you're trying to find out, Tohru-kun."

"I'll explain it in a minute," Tohru said with a smile. "But first, can you test it real quick, and see how far you can reach out? It's very important."

"If you say so!" replied Ayame cheerfully, and cocked his head, as if listening for something, an unusually thoughtful expression hovering over his face. After a few moments he shook himself and smiled down at her. "There's a little green snake about five miles north of here that I can just barely sense. That's about the extent of my reach, I'm afraid."

"Can you alert him to your presence?"

"I already did when I called out to him."

"That's perfect! Now, tell me if there are any snakes around here."

"Ah, now I see where you're going with this! Yes, there's a snake in that tree over there. What you want to know is if I can get in contact with him quickly. I'll bet that green snake is somewhere near Shiolin, correct?" Tohru blinked, taken aback for a moment.

"Yes, that's it exactly! You know, you're a lot smarter than you let on, Ayame-san."

"Why thank you, Tohru-kun, I'm flattered to hear you say that! And yes, I'm absolutely brilliant, aren't I?" Ayame struck a pose and flashed Tohru a toothy grin, while Tohru stared at him blankly. Then the Snake paused, his brow furrowing in perplexity.

"But, Tohru-kun, I'm not going to stay in my Zodiac form. We'll be in that town for some time, right? I'll transform back."

"I know. And I have a solution," Tohru said, pulling a small glass vial on a thin chain from under her shirt. "This is only a small dose, but it'll last for five hours. What's inside this vial will keep you from transforming back into a human." Ayame stared at Tohru in utter shock and bewilderment, and a flicker of hope lit his eyes. The other Sohmas had also gone quiet, hearing what she said.

"No, Ayame-san, before you even ask, it won't keep you human. It only works to enforce forms taken on magically. If you took it as a human it would probably turn you into a snake, but then its potency would be gone and you would more than likely transform back pretty quickly. So, the question is, are you willing to be a snake for five hours? You don 't have to do this if you don't want to..."

"No," said Ayame, tearing his eyes away from the vial in her fingers. "I wouldn't dream of letting you down when you are in need of my services. And I don't mind being a snake for a little while longer, if I get to ride in _your_ pockets." He saw the savage glares Yuki and Kyo were throwing him, and hurriedly continued. "Now, I believe we ought to be heading out soon, hm? It's getting late." Tohru looked up at the sky and jumped.

"It is! Artemis, we have to go now!" The wolf-demon, who had wandered away to keep watch on the road, walked over to her, his hind paw landing in his front paw's footprint, so that his prints appeared as if his were walking a tightrope, instead of weaving about like Shigure's did whenever he was in dog form. Ayame wrapped an arm around Tohru's shoulders and pulled her close, saying, "A pity we don't have to kiss you to transform..."

Then came the puff of smoke and the soft explosion. When the smoke cleared, Tohru was left staring dumbly down at the little white snake wriggling in the grass, while Kyo and Yuki seethed behind her back. Tohru bent down and offered her hand to Ayame, who graciously slithered into her palm. Tohru held out the vial for him, carefully standing up so as not to jostle him, and kept it steady as he stuck his tongue in and lapped up a few drops before he choked and gagged.

"This stuff is _horrible_!" he bemoaned, wishing he had hands to wipe the disgusting tasting fluid from his tongue.

"Sorry about that. You'll have to drink it all now, though, if you don't want to transform in the middle of a crowded street."

"Why didn't you warn me?" the Snake asked piteously.

"I didn't know, I've never tasted it."

"Quit whining about it and just drink the damn stuff!" Kyo snarled. Ayame made a face, as well as he could in snake form, and stuck his tongue back into the vial, trying to quickly drink it all down. At least it didn't smell as bad as it tasted, otherwise he would have fainted. Or pretended to. Which ever seemed more dramatic.

Finally, he was finished and crawled up Tohru's arm and came to a rest at her shoulder. He glanced down the front of her shirt, but refrained from venturing into that most interesting of places when he saw the most murderous looks on his brother's and Kyo's faces.

Tohru picked up Artemis's fallen clothes, gently placed Ayame in one of the pockets, and hopped easily to the wolf-demon's back, burying her hands in the fur just above his shoulder blades. She turned to the other Sohmas and gave them a cheerful smile.

"Don't look so sad, Kisa-chan, I'll only be gone for a few hours, maybe even less. I'll be back before you know it!" she said brightly. She gave another encouraging smile to her friends, particularly to Kyo and Yuki, who were looking increasingly uneasy.

"Ah, Yuki, I know you're quite worried for my sake, but you really shouldn't trouble yourself over little old me!" Ayame called gaily. "I know you shall miss me and much as I will miss you!" Yuki snapped out of it immediately, and directed an icy stare in his brother's direction. The Snake hid himself deeper in Artemis's pockets.

How Yuki would have loved to be up there with Tohru, it was the perfect excuse to spend time alone with her... but he had to stay. Once again, Tohru had to leave to a place into which he was not permitted to follow. And to make matters worse, it was _Ayame_ who was up there with her instead. Not for the first time in his life, Yuki sorely regretted studying martial arts.

The Rat watched, his face carefully expressionless, as the wolf-demon whirled around and bounded away out of sight, Tohru waving back at him and the others and calling goodbye. Then he settled down to wait.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: _tunelessly sings dazedly to self_ I don't own Fruits Basket... I don't own Fruits Basket... I don't own Fruits Basket...**

Well, sorry all you Yuki fans, I ruined a perfectly good chance to kindle a relationship between him and Tohru. But don't worry, he'll get his chance. And don't scream, Kyo-fans! Kyon-Kyon will get his chance, too! I just wanted to spend some alone time with Ayame. He's sooooo taaaastyyy... I don't see how anyone cannot love his character. I adore him, he's so great. He's just incredibly alluring... A-HEM!!! Anyway, thanks sosososososososososososososo much to everyone that has reviewed, and better yet, _kept_ reviewing! And special thanks to Neko, who gave me some choice bit of advice concerning original works on this site, so thank you! Hugs and kisses to you!

And speaking of kisses... What happened to Artemis was not really what you expected, eh? I know it sounds a bit like the Sohma Curse, but it's not. As Artemis himself said, it's complicated. WAY complicated. Too complicated to explain in this chapter. Just trust me, and hang in there, all will be clear in the many, many, many chapters to come. By the way, any typos please report to me. I'm very fanatic about spelling errors and such, so if you could point out exactly where they are, which chapter and paragraph perhaps, that would be SO WONDERFUL OF YOU!!!!! That's it for now.

Ciao!

-Raha-


	14. Shiolin

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Fourteen: Shiolin**

* * *

Ayame was having the time of his life. He stuck his head out of Artemis's coat pocket to feel the wind whip past his face, his tongue flickering in and out for pure joy. Never in his life had he gone so fast! Artemis might as well have been flying over the road; his feet never seemed to touch the ground. But after a while the novelty had worn off, and the inevitable had happened. Ayame was cold. The pocket provided little warmth, as cold air kept rushing into it and blowing it around him. He looked up at Tohru's face and saw at once that it was going to be hard to get her attention.

She was gripping Artemis's fur tightly, her bent legs clamped to his sides, her attention concentrated fully on keeping her balance as the demon's body moved beneath her. Her body was stiff with the fear of falling off at such a fast rate, her eyes were shut tightly, and she was biting her bottom lip.

Ayame considered for a moment, then carefully crawled out of the pocket and wrapped himself around her wrist. Tohru's eyes popped open and she glanced down at him in surprise as he wound his way up her arm and up towards her shoulder. He gripped her arm tightly with his little body, half afraid he would be shaken off because she was trembling so hard. Finally he got his head up close to her ear and said, "Tohru-kun? I'm getting a little cold, perhaps inside your shirt I could get a little more warmth?"

Artemis stopped dead in his tracks, his head snapping back to glower murderously at the Snake. His ears pushed forward, his tail stood up, his hackles rose, his legs stiffened, his muzzle wrinkled, his lips pulled back, and his mouth opened, revealing his teeth in a savagely furious snarl that scared the living daylights out Ayame, who now felt _very_ tiny. But the effect was rather ruined as the sudden halt had flung Tohru forward, making her slam into the side of Artemis's head.

Artemis let out a peculiar sound and jerked back, almost causing Tohru to fall off completely, his dark fur hiding the frantic blush that was burning across his muzzle. When Tohru had crashed into him, her chest, particularly the soft and cushiony parts, had come into substantially close contact with his face. This incident caused Artemis's already peaking anger meter to rocket into outer space.

**_"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!?!"_** he screamed at the tops of his lungs at the Snake, who ducked behind Tohru, looking at the demon apprehensively.

"It's okay Artemis," said Tohru, looking like she was used to this sort of thing, and holding up her hands in front of her in a calming gesture. "Ayame-san does get cold easily, and it is probably not very comfortable in that pocket... so..."

"He can stay there and freeze, for all I care. He's not going down your shirt, dammit!"

"Artemis..." Tohru gently reprimanded, using that tone of voice that always had Kyo and Yuki, and practically every other Sohma, eventually doing what she asked of them. Ayame waited for the demon to crumble and succumb to her persuasion... But...

"NO! He cannot crawl into your shirt, where he can do who knows what, while I'm standing right under his nose! I won't allow it!" snarled the demon.

"What would he do?" demanded Tohru, leveling her eyes at him.

"He's a damn lecher! He'll... He'll probably..." Artemis trailed off embarrassedly.

"How would you know something like that? You haven't known him for more than a few hours," she pointed out doggedly.

"Tohru, after spending all my time with that damn Malacoda I can smell a pervert a mile away," he replied.

"You wouldn't know a pervert if he came up and danced naked in front of you!" she retorted.

"I could say the same thing about _you_!" he shouted in return.

Meanwhile, if snakes were capable of perspiration, Ayame would have been doing it. By now Tohru and Artemis were yelling at each other with a gusto, so he had to literally snick his nose in her ear before he could finally get her attention.

"Tohru-kun!" he cried loudly. Tohru jumped and turned her head to look at him.

"_What_?" she demanded harshly. Ayame drew back in surprise, and she immediately realized her mistake and let out a horrified gasp. "Oh, no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to snap at you, this isn't your fault..."

"Yes, it is." Artemis interjected at once. Tohru shot him a dirty look.

"I didn't hurt your feelings, did I Ayame-san?" she asked in concern. _She's like a completely different person when she's dealing with Artemis..._ the Snake thought, blinking in surprise.

"No, no, I'm perfectly fine!" he answered boisterously.

"That's good. What was it that you wanted to ask me?"

"I wanted to say, that if it's causing too much trouble then I won't crawl into your shirt."

"But then, how are you going to stay warm...? I don't want you catching a cold or something."

"I was thinking I could wrap myself around your neck..."

"WHAT?!" demanded Artemis.

"...if that's okay with you... and with him." Ayame finished. Tohru considered it, ignoring Artemis's sputtered protests, incoherent because he could not conjure up the correct words at the moment and link them into sentences.

"I guess that works..." said Tohru thoughtfully. "You could still be warm, without riling up Artemis's delicate sensitivities too much."

"I am not delicate!" was the demon's indignant objection.

"Perfect!" chimed Ayame, and slithered into the wide, loose collar and wrapped himself lightly around the base of her neck. The collar was part of the outer shirt, dark brown in color, and even though it was folded over, or rather flopped over, it still almost reached her chin. This meant that Ayame would be both very warm and very undetectable.

"Is that better?" asked Tohru.

"Yes, very much, thank you!"

"Wonderful! Let's go, Artemis," she added shortly to the demon. Wordlessly he began to trot and then broke into a full-blown run. They did not speak to each other for the remainder of the journey to Shiolin. At first Ayame, jumpy because of their cold silence, tried to make light conversation, but he soon gave up as Tohru was concentrating too much on not falling off and Artemis was ignoring him completely. All in all, Ayame's grand adventures were not starting off well.

After many agonizingly long minutes, they came to a hill that over looked the outskirts of the city. Artemis stopped before he crested the hill, so that he stayed hidden from anyone who was down in the city. Tohru climbed down and would have walked away without a word, had the demon not grabbed her sleeve in his teeth.

"What?" asked Tohru coldly, looking back at him with hooded eyes.

"I just... just wanted to tell you to watch your back," he said gruffly, letting go of her. Tohru bit back the small smile that was trying to curl up in her mouth, but her eyes softened.

"I will," she answered with a tiny nod. Artemis nodded shortly in return and trotted away to disappear amongst the trees surrounding them. Tohru watched until she could no longer see him, and then turned and walked slowly up the hill. Ayame poked his head out and he let out a short gasp of amazement.

"Well, Ayame-san, welcome to Shiolin."

The sight the Snake beheld was absolutely breath taking. And it was huge. It stretched out at their feet in a congested, disorganized jumble of buildings, all of them centered haphazardly around the huge castle rising up amongst them. It reminded him of some strange animal, crouched among a bed of ants, and all the ants were scurrying frantically around it in chaotic fury. Beyond this lay the sea, Ayame could smell the salt in the air and the faint aroma of fish, the reflection of the slowly sinking sun gleaming in the water like fire, so for one fleeting moment, Ayame thought the entire surface of the ocean was burning.

"It's... it's _beautiful_..." he breathed in wonder. Tohru smiled faintly.

"It is, isn't it?" she said softly. "At least from afar, wait till we get down there. An hour of that fish smell will have anyone jumping for joy to leave." And with that, she started down the hill into Shiolin.

Ayame could not get enough of all the sights, the sounds, the _smells_. His tongue flicked in and out like mad, his face just barely peeking over the rim of Tohru's collar. He ducked quickly out of sight every time someone looked their way, but the city was so crowded, that he eventually stopped all together. No one was even bothered to see that he even existed, much less care that he was ever there.

"Let's see, the horse stables should be near the beach somewhere, near the port, so..." she trailed off and began walking, heading straight north towards the sea. But the road twisted and turned like a maze and soon they were completely lost. Tohru stopped and asked for directions, somewhat shyly as Ayame hid himself in her collar, not wanting to waste any time wandering around aimlessly without a clue as to where she was going. They were put on the right track, though they had to ask several more people before they finally reached the shore. After questioning even more people they located the horse stables.

"Hello...?" Tohru called, hesitantly stepping into the dark and cool barn. Sunlight dimly slanted in through the windows, but that was the only light source. There was no one in view, not even horses. "Hello?" Tohru called louder.

"Yeah, whaddaya want?" demanded a gruff, crude voice from above them. Tohru jumped and looked up, spotting an aging, graying man glaring balefully down at them from the haylofts. Something bothered Ayame about the man, but he couldn't place his finger on it.

"H-hello, sir, I-I was wondering, if maybe you could lend us some... some horses?" Tohru squeaked, speaking very fast.

"Din' hear ya, speak louder, mah ol' ears ain't wha they used tah be," growled the man.

"I said, I was wondering if you might lend us some horses," reiterated Tohru loudly.

"Alrigh'! Ya don't have tah shout!" he snapped irritably. "Ah'll se wha ah ken do." He staggered, Ayame suspected he'd been drinking, to the ladder and clambered down it. When his feet hit the dirt he walked out of the barn.

"Should I go with—"

"Stay there!" he barked before Tohru could finish, and she shut her mouth with a snap.

"Well, wasn't he just charming?" Ayame asked in his usual cheerful voice when they were alone. Tohru laughed dryly.

"Yeah, I think a lot of people in Shiolin are like that. But the Nobles here are worse than they are, so it isn't surprising."

"Nobles...?" asked Ayame interestedly.

"You remember that castle we saw from the hill? The Noble family of Nobunaga resides in there, and they rule over Shiolin. They're rabid taxers, so you can expect the people to be a bit... inhospitable."

"Indeed." Something sparked suddenly in his mind, and he knew what had been bothering him about the man. "I was wondering," he said. "How is it that he can speak Japanese, but we're in another universe?"

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd catch on to that. We're in another universe that is sort of... overlaid over own, as well as an infinite number of other universes. We aren't on another planet, but we're not in a parallel dimension either. It's hard to explain actually. All the universes sort of exist within each other, without ever being seen by any of the others. Except in very special cases."

"Like what sort of cases?"

"The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. Scotland has a few places where the universes touch; the Lock Ness monster is proof of that. Also the so called UFOs people report seeing in the sky."

"What about Bigfoot?"

"_Him_?" Tohru scoffed. "The guy that runs around in a gorilla suite trying to get a little fame and attention? If he's from another universe then I'm God." She became serious again. "Anyway, most universes are relatively the same, so languages don't change much. We're in the equivalent of Japan, here. Do you understand?"

"Of course!" Ayame lied.

Both of them were quiet for a while, looking aimlessly around the barn. Ayame was thinking about all that had happened, about the Familiar Cages, other universes, doors, Shiolin, Artemis, and Tohru. All of it jumbled around in his mind in a writhing mass of complete confusion. Ayame didn't really know what to think of it all.

"Ayame-san...?" asked Tohru suddenly, her voice almost so quiet that Ayame couldn't hear it.

"Yes, Tohru-kun?"

"What do you think of all this?" Ayame blinked, taken by surprise by the question that ran parallel to his own thoughts.

"Why, I-I don't know what you mean..." he said, trying to get his mind together.

"What do you think of all that's happened to you, to everyone, so far?" she said slowly, choosing her words carefully.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure..." he trailed off, trying to pull in his thoughts and put them into words, but they kept slipping out of his hands like water and spun away from him.

"Do you think I'm... this... is crazy?" Ayame looked up at her face in startled consternation. She was staring straight ahead, a tiny, forced smile playing around her lips.

"No, of course not!" he replied impetuously, grinning widely, or as well as he could in snake form.

"Are you scared?" she whispered. Now Ayame was really starting to freak out. Where had this come from?

"No way!" he cried, trying desperately to raise her spirits. "How could I, the great Ayame, be scared when I'm having so much fun?"

"Do you think... Shigure, and Yuki, and Kyo... and the other Sohmas... are scared?"

"Preposterous! They're all strong and brave, like me, and are all probably having the times of their lives! Well, maybe not Ritsu, but he'll bravely follow anyone wherever they go."

"Then I must be mad. I'm scared. I'm really scared, Ayame, and I don't know what to do!" Tohru cried, and note of panic in her voice, forgetting entirely to add the usual polite -san at the end of his name.

Inside his head, Ayame was screaming at himself. He was never very good at this. Comforting people. He was more the type to have fun and party and make people happy, who were already happy to begin with. He was not the type to cheer up people were on the verge of tears. And everything he was saying now seemed to make things worse. He wished Shigure, or even Hatori were there. They were way better at comforting people than he was. Even _Kyo_ had more success at it. Especially when it came to Tohru. Ayame just made light of everything, and now, it was not helping. And he knew it.

"...and everyone else is so brave, I feel like a coward..."

"You're not a coward." Tohru stopped as Ayame pulled himself up to his full height to look her in the eyes, which stared back at him in tearful confusion. "You're _not_ a coward, do you understand?" he hurried on, and she nodded slightly.

"I don't know what got into your head to make you think that, but so far you haven't done anything to make me think of you as cowardly. You snuck into enemy territory to spy, you were willing to take a bullet for Akito, you fought off that Familiar Cage for us, you stood up to that demon. Believe me, you're not a coward. You've got to be the bravest person I've ever met." Tohru stared at him with wide-eyes.

"Ayame-san..." she murmured, then gasped and shoved him down into her shirt.

"'ow many 'orses did yah need? I 'ave abou' twen'y 'ere..." said the man's voice from a few feet in front of them. As Tohru answered him and they got into a discussion on prices, each haggling expertly back and forth, Ayame sunk deep within himself. What did he think of all this? _Was_ he scared...?

"Thank you, sir. They'll be returned to you in a week," said Tohru to the man, as she roped sixteen saddled horses together, and lead the front horse out into the streets, where she mounted and headed back towards where Artemis was waiting. They were soon out of the city (without too many pickpockets targeting them, and those that did were bitten and effectively chased away by the horses trailing behind them) and were making their way up the hill before Ayame finally said something to break their mutual silence.

"Tohru-kun?" said Ayame, pulling himself up to look at her.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I'm scared, too."

"Thank you, Ayame-san," whispered Tohru, bent down impulsively, and placed a soft kiss on the top of his head.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, though I wished I owned Natsuki Takaya so I could make her hurry up with the making of more volumes...**

Oh, there are so many things I want to explain, but there isn't enough time! I don't want the chapters to get too long, because I usually like to write one in one go and not stop till I've finished. I've also found that very long chapters are hard to edit and post quickly, and they're hard to read in one go as well. Anyway, if there's anything you want more fully explained, please tell me, and I WILL put it in, because I may have forgotten about it if I ever wanted to anyway. Or if you have any suggestions, like little scenes you might like to see, they'll probably be written in as well. I don't have a very strict structure that I want to follow. I'll probably wind around aimlessly for a while with this until I find a suitable ending. Don't worry, It's going to be very good! And don't worry, this is going to last a while!

Also, if I haven't mentioned this before, if you find typos please report them!

Goodbye once again!

-Raha-


	15. Into Hell They Go!

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Fifteen: Into Hell They Go!**

* * *

Ayame was so flattered and pleased by the kiss, that if the enchantment had not still been in affect, he would have transformed back into a human then and there. As it were, a little shiver of joy ran down the entire length of his spine.

"You're very welcome!" he replied over-joyously, saw her wide smile and the blush creeping over her cheeks, and pulled back to once again settle himself around her neck.

Over the hill, Artemis was waiting for them, still in his wolf form, and Tohru clambered onto his back. Before he started off, Artemis turned his head to look at her.

"Tohru, you don't have to grip me so hard. And don't sit so stiffly. You've never fallen off before, and I'm not going to let you start now."

"I-I'm sorry, Artemis. But I haven't done this for over a year. I wasn't hurting you was I?"

"No. And quit apologizing. It makes me twitch every time you say it." Tohru nodded, loosening her hold and relaxing. Ayame felt her tense up slightly as Artemis began to trot down the road, but this time the demon kept his pace slow and even, until he felt Tohru relax into it before picking up more speed. He never did go as fast as he had in coming, though, as they were trailing the horses. Nonetheless, it was all too soon for Ayame when they reached the place where they had left the others, thankfully without meeting anyone on the way, just as the sun was sinking behind the horizon.

Yuki looked up as they came over the hill. The past two hours had been absolute hell. His nerves were totally shot with the presence of Akito in their midst. The dark haired boy had not done anything in particular; on the contrary he had chosen a tree to put his back to and closed his eyes.

The uncomfortable silence that followed had been broken when Kyo and Kagura had begun to fight. Yuki had told Kyo to be quiet, Kyo had yelled at him to shut up, and Yuki had knocked him flat. Unfortunately, the Rat hadn't been paying attention because he was so nervous about Akito, so had literally thrown Kyo right on top of Ritsu. The Monkey had begun screaming apologies about getting in the way, which made Hiro snap at him. Ritsu had jumped back and accidentally stepped on Kisa. This made Hiro leap up and start shouting, while Momiji scolded him for it, saying it wasn't Ritsu's fault. During that time, Isuzu had gotten into a heated argument with Kyo, and within five seconds they were screaming at one another.

In fact, the only ones that seemed completely unfazed were Hatori, Hatsuharu, Kureno, Shigure, and Akito. Hatori and Haru were watching everyone else with looks of flat irritation, while Akito seemingly dozed, watching the chaos unfold before him through his lashes. Kureno was seated beside him, observing everything that was going on around him without a word. Shigure just looked amused.

So when Yuki finally spotted Tohru and Artemis he was more than relieved to run and greet them. Kyo, who had escaped up a tree, immediately jumped down from his sanctuary, as the other Jyuunishi looked up hopefully. The two boys hurried to Tohru's side as she slid off of Artemis's back.

"Tohru!"

"Honda-san!"

Tohru looked up at their cries and grinned at them. They both skidded to a halt in front of her, panting faintly, and for a moment no one spoke.

"_Well_?" Kyo finally demanded. "Tell me what happened!"

"Oh, er, nothing really. We got the horses, that's about it."

"Hello, Yuki! Did you miss me as much as I missed you?" Ayame exclaimed, popping his head out to greet his little brother. Yuki and Kyo stared at him blankly, then Yuki seized the Snake's head between thumb and forefinger and, resisting the urge to squish the wriggling serpent, pulled him deftly out of Tohru's shirt.

"Ah! Yuki, it's _cold_ out here!"

"Then perhaps you should warm up in the fire," Yuki said icily, walking towards the small fire Hatori had managed to start, with the help of Kisa, who had fetched the wood while Hiro was screaming at Ritsu.

"Oh, Y-Yuki-kun...!" Tohru cried, starting towards the quietly enraged Rat, but Shigure reached him first and hastily took Ayame out of his hands.

"Yuki-kun, you shouldn't joke around in this most serious situation!" Shigure reprimanded lightheartedly with a cheery little laugh. Yuki turned a cold, flat look on him and he retreated hastily as the Snake hid himself in his kimono. Tohru sighed in relief and took the reins of the lead horse, gently urging them forward.

"Okay, um, we should get going now. There's a horse here for each of you, and an extra one here for when Ayame transforms back. Those three ponies are for Hiro-kun, Kisa-chan, and Momiji-kun," She said, motioning towards three sturdy ponies.

"Aw, why do I have to have a pony?" Momiji mock-whined.

"Because you're short," said Artemis flatly. Momiji stuck his tongue out at him when the demon wasn't looking.

"It's okay, Momiji-kun, the ponies here might as well be stallions with all the spunk they have. You and that little yellow one should get along fine," assured Tohru, pointing out the creamy yellow pony that was looking around itself with bright, lively eyes. Momiji giggled, watching it, and ran over to make friends. Tohru noticed Isuzu staring strangely at her, and turned cheerfully to Yuki.

"Yuki-kun, see that gray appaloosa over there? I picked that one out especially with you in mind. She sort of looks like you, doesn't she?" Tohru said laughing, leading the Rat over to the horse. Yuki eyed it hesitantly.

"I don't know, Honda-san..." he murmured.

"Come on, Yuki-kun! Blow in her nose, that's how horses get acquainted with one another." Yuki looked at her incredulously.

"Blow in her _nose_?"

"Yes, and don't worry, she won't bite you." Tohru reassured him.

"You aren't scared are you?" mocked Kyo with a smirk, having walked over to a reddish-brown Arabian, which was staring him down challengingly. Kyo glared back at it and blew into its nose, running a gentle hand over its muzzle. The horse raised a hoof, half thinking it was going to kick him, but it caught the warning look in Tohru's eyes and the hoof slowly lowered again. Now Tohru noticed that Isuzu was looking at her _very_ suspiciously, and Haru was beginning to suspect something was going on.

"Onee-chan?" asked Kisa's tiny voice, and Tohru felt a tug at the hem of her dress. She looked down to see the Tiger's wide eyes staring up at her and smiled warmly.

"I picked out the perfect pony for you, Kisa-chan!" she told the little girl cheerfully, took her hand, and led her towards a little buck-skinned creature, that looked down at Kisa with soft eyes.

"I'm told he's good with kids, and his name's Tigger." A huge smile spread across Kisa's face at that, and she quickly raised her hands to hide it, her eyes closed with silent mirth. After Tohru helped her up she turned to find Hiro standing behind her.

"I suppose that last pony is mine?" he said bluntly, looking at the other buckskin pony, which was much lighter in color than Kisa's. Tohru nodded, and reading the unasked question in his eyes, added softly, "His name's Gunsmoke."

"Who asked _you_?" Hiro snapped, and walked towards his mount without another word.

"Where's my horse, Tohru-kun?" Shigure chirped.

"That black gelding near the back." Tohru replied, pointing out the solid black horse that was staring off into space dreamily.

"What, I don't get a stallion? A stud for a stud, you know!" Shigure said with a debonair smile. Kyo and Yuki both gave him looks of disgust, while Artemis snorted with laughter, which was rather interesting to watch as he was still currently in wolf form.

"Actually, Shigure-san, there aren't any stallions here. They'd cause problems because they wouldn't leave the mares alone..."

"Sounds just like Shigure..." Kyo muttered. "Maybe you should have left _him_ behind as well." Yuki mutely agreed with him, though it wouldn't admit it out loud. Shigure, if he had heard, pretended to ignore the comment and walked over to the gelding, which turned towards him in a generally friendly, but serious, manner.

"Hmmm, Shigure-san, there's a problem..." said Tohru suddenly.

"What?" he asked in an overly cheerful voice.

"Your kimono." Artemis interposed. "You can't rightly ride him in that. Guess you'll have to ride sidesaddle for now, until we can get you some breeches." Shigure looked horrified.

"_Breeches_? How can you possibly believe that I would even wear those horrible things?" he moaned pathetically.

"Come to think of it, Ayame and Ritsu will also have to wear breeches..." said Tohru thoughtfully.

"Oh, okay... If you think I should..." said Ritsu timorously. But Ayame stuck his head out of Shigure's clothes, looking even more appalled than Shigure had.

"I'll never!" he cried vehemently. "You will _never_ make me! I won't wear those awful _rags_ people have the gall to call clothes!"

"Ayame-san..." sighed Tohru.

"You will if you don't want to run around in dirty clothes," said Artemis brusquely.

"Alright, after much deliberation, I have decided that breeches are not so bad," said the Snake at once. Artemis let out a derisive snort and Ayame quickly changed the subject. "Tohru-kun, where is my horse? Wait let me guess! It's that white one second to last, right?" Tohru shook her head.

"No, it's the one two horses up from Shigure's, right ahead of Hatori's. The white one is for... Akito."

"Oh...?" said Akito's sleek voice, the silken smile touching his lips never quite reaching his eyes. Tohru nodded, smiling, slightly nervously, in return. Akito noticed, that though she was a bit unsettled, there was no real fear in that smile or in her eyes, and his own eyes narrowed because of it.

"Yes, I put you there so you may keep an eye on everyone." For some reason, this seemed to calm him, and he relaxed slightly as he mounted up. He, unlike the Dog and the Snake, was wearing normal clothing instead of his usual kimonos, and so had no problems.

As he watched her position everyone else, however, his irritation returned. He had realized that between himself and everyone else were first Shigure, Hatori, Ayame, and Kureno. Then came Ritsu, Kisa, Hiro, Isuzu, Hatsuharu, Kyo, Momiji, Kagura, and finally Yuki. Right behind him was Artemis, trotting next to his own horse, having finished untying the horses from each other, which was reserved for when he transformed back, and in the lead was Tohru herself. She had separated him from her friends, to protect them.

While Akito seethed, Shigure marveled at her brilliance. She'd placed him closest to Akito, suspecting that he had a relatively good relationship with the Head Sohma, or in the least relying on his carefree nature to balance against Akito's. She'd kept Hatori close, in case Akito had any health problems, but had placed him between his friends for comfort, or a distraction, Shigure couldn't decide on what. She'd also kept Kureno reasonably close to Akito, but with a distance between the two. Shigure knew she was trying to give Kureno a sort of break from being with Akito all the time. She'd kept Kyo and Yuki as far away from Akito as possible, separating them with Momiji and Kagura, and further separating the Cat and the Boar to keep her from killing him.

Kisa was attached to Hiro, Hiro was protective of both Kisa and Isuzu, Isuzu was in love with Haru, Haru was in love with Isuzu, and Kyo and Haru were on current friendly terms, despite the fact that Haru was trying to beat Kyo in a fight, so that all worked out. Plus Ritsu wouldn't get too upset as he was between the soft-spoken Kureno and Kisa. He knew Akito couldn't hurt Artemis, and assumed that the demon would act as a rearguard.

As it looked from Shigure's point of view, it seemed Tohru had made it so that there would be almost no fighting at all. The only flaw was placing Momiji in front of Kyo, but since Kyo couldn't reach the Rabbit to hit him, there was minimal yelling and whining from either side respectively. It was going to be a relatively calm voyage, and Shigure was thankful for that. With all that had been happening, he needed a little peace to think things through. And he knew everyone else did as well.

"Is everyone ready?" Tohru called back. Everyone nodded, some looking excited and some apprehensive. "Then let's go!" she said, and opened a door into Hell.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Disclaimer: I'm going to stop whining about how boring, repetitive, tedious, mind-numbing, dull, stupid, and infuriating saying this is. From now on, I'm just going to say it and get it over with. No more squirming around. No more beating my head against a brick wall. I'm just going to say it... just say it... just...just...**

**Shigure: Say the disclaimer and quite stalling. You'll feel better.**

**Raha: ...fine. Idon'townFruitsBasket.**

**Shigure: Slowly this time.**

**Raha: FINE! I DON'T OWN FRUITS BASKET!!! Oh, and I also don't own Winnie the Pooh either...**

**Shigure: There now, doesn't that feel better?**

**Raha: ...**

I just thought of something. I wonder how Ayame can communicate with people in snake form? Snakes can't hear, so how does he know what people are saying? I seem to remember him holding conversations with Yuki as a snake in the anime, but how does he? I guess he isn't quite a snake. And I suspect Hatori isn't quite a seahorse, as he seems to be able to survive out of water. (Remember when Tohru in the manga trips and he catches her, hits his head, and transforms? She moves him somewhere, but she never had to put him in water.) I also suspect Natsuki Takaya didn't know what to do with them, so she may have just cheated a little...

Anyway, tell me what you think of Chapter Fifteen! I want to hear your wonderful comments, even if they are flames! Opposing views help to clear my head and put me on the right track, or just make me work harder on it. But don't flame just to inspire me. Only flame if you actually have something constructive to say. "This is STUPID!!!" doesn't count. Not that anyone would flame me (and no one has!), because that's how awesome I am! Okay, sorry, I'll stop acting like Ayame...

By the way, I am back from Louisiana! I'm back to using Microsoft Word, instead of word pad, so I should have less spelling errors. I know they're there, I just haven't found them yet... Probably in the earlier chapters, I'll bet...

Later!

-Raha-


	16. Unveiling Secrets

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Sixteen: Unveiling Secrets**

* * *

Whatever the Sohmas had been expecting upon entering Hell, what they saw was not it. Luscious grass spread out in all directions across hills and valleys, webbed through with small, rock-filled streams. The blood-red sun was just settling down into the horizon, coloring the sky vibrantly with orange, pink and golden hues, and set upon on either side by mountains that rose like wolfs' teeth into the small, golden clouds.

It was an understatement to say that the Sohmas' jaws dropped.

"Th-this place is... magnificent." Yuki breathed as he passed through the door. "This is actually _Hell_?"

"Actually, the demons here refer to it as Dis," Tohru informed him cheerfully as she waited for everyone to get through the window. After Artemis had passed, she quickly closed it and trotted her horse up to the front of the line to walk next to Yuki. Kyo quietly brought his horse up on her other side, Kagura a little behind him. Suddenly Tohru stopped and looked around, her brows furrowed in perplexity.

"Artemis..." she started, her face blushing slightly, as she turned to look at the wolf-demon. "Do you know where the castle is...?" Kyo almost fell off his horse while a bead of sweat ran down Yuki's face at that statement.

"You mean to tell me you have no idea where we _are_?" bellowed the Cat.

"Shut up, you idiot." Yuki said coolly, his eyes closed in annoyance.

"Why don't you try and make me, prissy boy?!" Kyo yelled back angrily.

"Both of you shut up!" Artemis barked as he made his way towards them. Yuki and Kyo turned to glare at him.

"This isn't any of your concern," said Yuki with cold politeness.

"Yeah, butt out!" snapped Kyo. Artemis let out a dangerous snarl as his hackles rose and his mouth opened, revealing gleaming white fangs. The boys paled as their horses shied away from the suddenly terrifying, and very large, wolf standing next to them, looking like he was ready to attack.

"Artemis, cut it out, you're scaring the horses," rebutted Tohru gently with mild annoyance.

"Why should I have to put up with them?" Artemis demanded. "They're only humans." Tohru gave him a cold glare before deciding to change the subject.

"Do you know where Lucifer's castle is or not?"

"How should I know where it is? I haven't been back here since you left almost three years ago," he snapped scornfully and turned away in annoyance. "There ought to be a demon around here somewhere that can tell us." Tohru nodded and turned to Raha, who was seated behind her on her horse's rump.

"Raha, could you fly up and see if there are any demons about?" she asked sweetly. Raha looked at her as if to say, 'What's in it for me?'

"Come on, please Raha?" When he still didn't move she added, "I'll give you coffee when we get there." She seemed to have said the magic word. Raha immediately spread his wings and took off into the sky to circle over them.

"Coffee?" Yuki questioned.

"Just the beans, he won't touch brewed coffee for some reason."

"That's disgusting..." Kyo muttered and Tohru nodded her agreement. Suddenly, Artemis stepped in closer to the girl and pulled his clothes out of her hands and trotted away to disappear behind a hill without a word.

"Where's he going...?" asked Momiji.

"To change," answered Tohru. "Once he's in wolf form, he's stuck like that for a few hours, but after that he's given a short time to change back willingly, before his body does it for him, regardless of where he is or who he's with. Unless he's hurt, then his body either stays a wolf, or if not, he'll transform into one."

"If he can change on his own, why did he even have to kiss you?!" Kyo demanded angrily.

"His initial transformations are caused by an increase in adrenaline. When injured, your body begins pumping adrenaline, but it can also be triggered by... other things as well."

"You mean, when he kissed you, he got so... excited... that... he..." Yuki started disbelievingly, a look of horror dawning on his face.

"THAT SICK BASTARD!!!" Kyo thundered furiously, so loudly that his horse almost bucked him off for fear. Tohru laid a soothing hand on his mount's neck and it calmed beneath her touch.

"It's not only when he kisses me, if that helps... It also works with other girls, too..."

"What?!" Kyo demanded in outrage. "That makes it even _worse_!"

"He certainly _sounds_ like the wolf he is," Yuki stated in cold fury. "I'll bet it only works for _attractive_ girls, right?" Tohru nodded mutely, blushing at the hidden compliment.

"You mean if he kissed me, he'd turn into a wolf?" asked Kagura.

"No, because it only works for cute girls, remember?" Kyo snorted scathingly.

"Kyo, you jerk, you're so mean!" Kagura cried, urging her horse forward to throw her fist into his jaw.

"Ow! What the hell was _that_ for? I was only stating the obvious—OUCH!!! Stop hitting me, dammit!" As Kagura tried to pull Kyo off his horse so she could run him over, Isuzu urged her mount up next to Tohru to walk where Kyo had been.

"What is it with you and these horses?" she demanded, catching Tohru by surprise.

"Huh?" asked Tohru, turning towards her in confusion.

"Why don't you listen to people when they're talking to you? _I said_, what is it with you and these horses?" Isuzu growled irritably.

"I-I'm not sure what you mean, Isuzu-san..."

"What, do I have to spell it out for you?" Isuzu flared. Yuki shot her a warning look, but she ignored it. But when Haru gave her the exact same look, she backed off a bit. When Tohru still looked blank, though, she continued impatiently. "How is it that you practically guessed which horse would be best suited to everyone else, when you hadn't even seen them before?"

"Oh that..."

"And how can you trust that demon's horse not to wander away? It isn't tethered or anything," Isuzu went on, pointing back at Artemis's horse, which was walking passively behind Akito. In fact, it was currently nosing at Akito's pockets, and he kept ill temperedly shoving it away.

"You're not going to believe me if I tell you..." Tohru sighed.

"Honda-san, we turn into _animals_ whenever we're hugged. What won't we believe?" Yuki pointed out politely.

"Good point. Alright... um, how do I put this...? Uh, I guess I could say I have a sort of... connection with animals."

"Connection...?" asked Momiji, coming up behind her.

"Yeah... I can kinda... communicate with all animals..." No one spoke at this statement. They just stared blankly at her for a moment, the stunned silence pressing down on them like an invisible hand.

"Y-you can?" whispered Momiji finally. Tohru nodded mutely, watching them all anxiously, as if afraid of what their reactions would be. They were being surprisingly calm about it, though. After all the strange things they had seen so far and because of their own curse, this wasn't _that_ odd in comparison.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Isuzu demanded. Tohru dropped her head sheepishly.

"My village ostracized me for talking to their farm animals," she replied quietly.

"What?!" Kyo burst out furiously, having finally pushed Kagura onto her own horse. "For talking to _animals_?!"

"People were very superstitious in my village." Tohru said, trying to calm him down.

"That doesn't make it _right_!" He objected in complete outrage, refusing to let it slide.

"How old were you?" asked Yuki gently.

"Eleven. But now it's not only animals... I can speak any human language as well..."

"What?!" cried Momiji, looking excited. "So, you can speak German?"

"_Ja aber das zählt nicht. Artemis hat es zu mir gelehrt."_ She answered him in fluent and perfect German, smiling faintly while she turned back to look at him. Momiji squealed in delight.

"_Das ist so abkühlt! Jetzt kann ich mit Ihnen ohne Kyo Schlagen mich sprechen!"_ he giggled happily.

"What did you say?" Kyo demanded.

"That's between me and Tohru-kun!"

"You said my name! I heard you say it!"

"_Es ist nicht mein Fehler, den Sie mich nicht verstehen können."_ Said Momiji with a small smirk at the Cat, while Tohru sweated slightly.

"Quit talking jibberish and speak damned _Japanese_!"

"I'm sorry, Kyo-kun," said Tohru, trying to calm him down. "I just said to Momiji that Artemis was the one that taught me German, so it doesn't count. But magically, I can speak any language, as long as I have first heard the language spoken and stay in close vicinity with the person or people that spoke it."

"Huh?" said Kyo in confusion.

"Oh, how do I explain this...? Okay, say a person that spoke English came into the room. I don't know English, so they would have to first talk to me. Once they had, I would be enabled to talk to them, in their language. Then if an Italian came in and spoke to me, I would have to speak Italian then, until the English person spoke. I can't know two magical languages at once. If the Italian and the Englishman left, I would be unable to speak either. Do you kind of get it now?" Kyo nodded, looking faintly stunned.

"What else can you communicate with?" asked Haru serenely, completely unruffled by the fact that Tohru could magically speak in tongues.

"What else would she be able to talk to? The _trees_?" Kyo scoffed.

"Yes," murmured Tohru quietly. Kyo looked at her incredulously.

"I was _joking_." He said finally.

"I know you were. But I'm not," she replied bashfully.

"You can talk to trees as well...?" murmured Yuki in composed astonishmentt.

"Yes and no. I can hear them sometimes, but I can never make them respond to anything I say..." she replied, a little regretfully.

"What do they _say_...?" Momiji queried.

"They don't particularly _say_ anything... They sort of... sing..." Tohru looked around at their staggered expressions and giggled slightly, and they gave her perplexity.

"Sorry, but you look a bit over-whelmed. I think that's enough information for one day."

"Yeah." Kyo agreed fervently. "That's enough." Tohru flashed a happy smile at them, but it was not one of her regular smiles. This one held gratitude, and relief, that they had accepted her as readily as she had accepted them.

"Ah, I think Rahallion has spotted a demon," she said, shading her eyes with an arm as she glanced up at the sky.

Somehow, the boys suspected that there was still much about Tohru they didn't yet know, and that they were probably going to find out... whether they were ready for it or not.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Disclaimer: Okay. Okay, this time, I'm going to say it. Just watch me, I will. Okay here it goes. Right... Now. I... I don't... don't... own... I CAN'T DO IT!!!! Okay, sorry! That was a mess up! Do-over! Okay! Okay... I don't... I don't own... Oh, god dammit! This is ridiculous! I DON'T OWN FRUITS BASKEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!! Omigod, I said it...! Yay, I said it with out Shigure making me! I did it, I did it, I did it!!!**

**Shigure: Good for you!**

**Raha: I know!!!! I'm totally free! I don't care that I don't own it!!! In fact I'm soooo happy that I think I'll go shove these combustible hamsters down those lawyers' throats over there...**

**Shigure: O.o**

* * *

Translations:

_Ja aber das zählt nicht. Artemis hat es zu mir gelehrt.—_ Yes, but it doesn't count. Artemis taught it to me.

_Das ist so abkühlt! Jetzt kann ich mit Ihnen ohne Kyo Schlagen mich sprechen!—_ That's so cool! Now I can talk to you without Kyo hitting me!

_Es ist nicht mein Fehler, den Sie mich nicht verstehen können.—_ It's not my fault you can't understand me.

* * *

THANK YOU FWOGGIE!!!!! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!! Thank you so much for catching that little thing with Ayame, I feel like such an IDIOT! I just completely forgot he wasn't even there! Oh, I feel so stupid!!!! If you haven't noticed, I have really horrible memory. I've got like A.D.D. and L.D. too, plus a slight case of short-term memory loss, so it sucks for me, doesn't it...? Anyway, thanks again for pointing that out. GOD DAMMIT I CAN'T BELIEVE I FREAKING DID THAT!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M SOOOOO SOOORRRRRYYYYY!!!!!!!!! I'LL APOLOGIZE TO THE WORLD!!! THE WHOLE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay. I'm done.

Also, THANK YOU to FruitsBasketcase and CrazyInsaneAnimeFanGirl (Hey, the spell check doesn't like your names, you know that? Stupid thing, those ARE words! Moron.) for pointing out spelling errors and that Kisa calls Tohru Onee-chan, instead of Onii-chan. I knew one of those was for the girl, but I wasn't sure, so I just guessed. Guess I guessed wrong. Anyway, all of that has been fixed.

And in response to Lewa-the-Punk, why just nine horses...? There are sixteen people there, at least there were the last time I checked, and, might I remind you, Lucifer's pad is a day and a half away, on horseback, if they go fast. Some people would have to walk, and they would slow it down. Right...? Oh, I'm so confused... Please explain...!

Anyway, pertaining to a comment made by the mysterious Dark, I will let Yuki and Kyo fight. Especially Kyo, he's got a new Master. (No, I'm not replacing Kazuma, his old martial arts Master; he'll just have an additional one, whom he fights with on moonlit nights.) I'll betcha can't guess who it is!

-Raha-


	17. Realizations And Perverted Enactments

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Seventeen: Realizations And Perverted Enactments**

* * *

The demon that was approaching them looked a bit... off. It was a small, humanoid, bug-like thing with antennae and insect wings and whatnot. It was flying through the air towards them, or rather zigzagging in their general direction, and was singing a very raucous and extremely discourteous and sordid song.

"Does he look a little drunk to you?" Tohru commented wryly, watching the demon weave his way towards them.

"Doesn't matter if he is. He's going to tell us how to get to Lucifer's," Artemis snorted and leapt off Tohru's horse to snatch the demon out of midair. Then in a few more jumps he was once again crouching on Tohru's horse, looking at the thing lying in his palm.

"Oh, it looks like a fairy!" Momiji squealed, extending a hand to touch it.

"Don't you lay yer stinkin' 'ands on me, human!" the fairy shrieked, his voice slurred slightly from obvious intoxication, slapping the Rabbit's fingers away bad-temperedly.

"_That's_ a demon?!" Kyo snorted incredulously.

"No! I'm a _swan_!" the fairy snarled sarcastically, staggering to his feet and buzzing furiously. Artemis pinched his wings together to keep him from flying away.

"What did you say?!" Kyo challenged angrily.

"Watch it, parasite," the demon growled.

"Aw, go shove it up yer asses!"

"You're a little low in the food chain to be mouthing off!" Artemis barked.

"Quit it, Artemis, you won't get anywhere by arguing with him." Tohru admonished gently. "And no, Kyo-kun, this is not a demon. He's a fairy." And turning to the so-called fairy she asked, "What's your name, please?"

"Why the hell should I tell _you_?!" the fairy demanded. Artemis closed his hand firmly around the miniscule man.

"You want me to squeeze you until your head pops off?" the demon menaced, and then let out an enraged yell as the fairy sunk its teeth into his finger. "Let go of me you little insect!" he roared, shaking his hand frantically. Tohru quickly took the fairy into her hands to keep him from being hurt.

"Give it back, I'll snap it in half!" Artemis bellowed.

"But we need him to take us to Lucifer's..."

"I'm not tellin' yah anything! And my name's Pol! Pol! Not insect, or parasite, or bug!"

"Look you little cockroach..." Artemis snarled, raising a fist.

"It's _Pol_!!!"

"Artemis, stop arguing with him and _try_ to be polite," Tohru cried. "Pol, can you please tell us how to get to Lucifer's castle?" Tohru asked kindly. Pol opened his mouth, and then snapped it closed again, looking affronted, when Artemis let out a contemptuous snort.

"There's no use being polite to a _lower_ demon, all they understand are insults and threats," sneered the demon. "That's the only way to gain their respect, is by making them fear you."

Pol let out a furious scream and shot himself right into Artemis's jaw, shouting, "I'M NOT A LOWER DEMON!!!!" Artemis retorted with a thunderous shout and took a swipe at Pol, who dodged easily out of the way.

"Nyah, nyah!" the fairy scoffed, fluttering just out of the demon's reach. "Can't catch me, can yah? That's cause yer fat an' slow an' ugly! My ol' _grandmother_ could hit something faster'n you!"

"Come down here and say that to my face, you little coward!" Artemis roared.

"Why don't you try an' make me?"

"QUIET." Hatori ordered, and both Artemis and Pol stopped what they were doing at once, their heads turning to look at the Dragon.

"Thanks, Hatori-san..." Tohru sighed in relief. "Now, Pol, will you _please_ tell me where we can find Lucifer? It's very important."

"I will if tha' idiot says he's sorry fer insultin' me," Pol said stubbornly.

"LIKE HELL I'M GONNA—" Artemis started furiously, but Tohru clapped a hand over his mouth, saying, "He may not show it, but he's really very sorry for causing you any offense. Now, please, we would be greatly indebted to you, Pol, if you would lead us to the castle. That is if you know where it is, or course." Tohru told him in her sweetest and most persuasive voice. At first, Pol looked slightly taken aback, but he recovered himself quickly.

"Do _I_ know where it is? O' course I ken take yeh there, t'would be my pleashure!" he said cheerfully, and fluttered away, chatting with Tohru nonstop.

While Tohru kept Pol happy, Yuki sank into his own little world, not paying attention to where he was going, and trusting his horse to take him to wherever they needed to go. His mind was bursting with information, and he was glad he was left alone to mull it over. One thing in particular kept coming back to him.

_You didn't do anything wrong, understand? If you hadn't killed it, I'm sure we all would have died. You did what you had to do, so stop tearing yourself up about it.  
_  
Kyo's words to Tohru after she had killed the Familiar Cage kept replaying themselves over and over in his head. What had possessed the Cat to say something like that to her? And why of all people did it have to be the Cat that said it?

_It should have been me..._ thought Yuki, feeling ashamed for thinking it. _I should have been the one to tell her those things. I'm the one that's supposed to have an answer for everything... an explanation for everything... not Kyo. Why couldn't I say anything?_

He had frozen up. When he saw Tohru shoot it, saw Tohru in pain, he couldn't do anything...

_Or I wouldn't..._

Yuki shook himself, feeling sick. _No...! That's not it... that's not it... I wanted to help her, I did, but... but I...  
_  
He had been too afraid. Too afraid of what he had seen and heard when everything had gone dark... And of what he had thought when he saw Tohru pull the trigger... It was then that he had begun to realize, to really _see_, that things were very bad. That his life had changed, and that he couldn't go back to the time when all he had to worry about was getting hugged at the pool... So he had been unable to say or do anything to help Tohru.

_I'm a coward..._

But he was not going to allow that to happen again... He would never hesitate out of fear when he knew someone needed his help... He would never stand by and do nothing ever again.... He was not going to be a coward. And he was not going to let that idiot Cat get the best of him.

The sound of an explosion interrupted his thoughts. Yuki looked back and saw a sight he was sure was going to scar him for life. Ayame had changed back. But as he was still in Shigure's clothes when he transformed...

"GET OUT OF THERE AND PUT SOME DAMNED CLOTHES ON YOU SICK PERVERT!!!!" screamed Kyo in appalled horror and outrage.

"Oh, Kyo, don't hate us just because we're different!" Ayame cried gaily, while Shigure giggled lightheartedly, like he didn't have a stark naked man in his kimono.

**_"GET... OUT..."_** Yuki intoned darkly. Ayame quickly got up off Shigure's lap and scurried away to get dressed.

"It's getting kind of dark..." Tohru said when Ayame returned fully clothed, sounding like she was used to that sort of thing and had just resigned herself to those types of happenings long ago. "I think we ought to stop here for the night."

Yuki's horse stopped and he slid off of it stiffly. In a sort of daze, he pulled his blankets out of his pack and spread them out on the ground. After a quick dinner, he lay down. He hadn't realized how tired he was, and felt like his head had barely hit the pillow before he felt Tohru shaking him awake. Yuki groaned and rolled away from her, burrowing deeper into his blankets. The air was still chill, so he knew the sun had barely come up.

"Come on, Yuki-kun," he heard Tohru murmur and peeked out from under his blankets blearily at her.

"Wah... toom... uhst...?" he muttered groggily.

"Sorry, Yuki-kun, didn't catch that. Here, drink this," Tohru said, pushing a cup of tea into his hands as he struggled to sit up. He stared at it through puffy eyes for a moment, as if trying to figure out what it was, and then slowly looked up at Tohru.

"Time...?" he finally managed to say, his voice still not working properly.

"It's about seven o'clock in the morning. Artemis wanted to get an early start, so that we'll reach the castle by late noon," Tohru said. "Just drink that and you'll wake up, I guarantee it."

"...'kay..." he replied thickly, raising the cup to his lips. It was a moment after taking a few gulps that he realized that the stuff sliding down his throat was delicious, and before he knew it he had drained the cup and felt wide awake. Which for him at seven in the morning was saying something. Yuki looked around, hoping to get more tea.

Shigure was off a little ways, talking quietly with Akito and, as Yuki suspected, distracting him from any of the other Sohmas. Kagura and Isuzu had disappeared to clean themselves up, and Artemis, Kyo and Haru were also not in sight. Hiro, Kisa, Momiji, Ritsu and Kureno were seated nearby, though, eating breakfast, as were Ayame and Hatori, though they kept shooting looks over at Shigure and Akito through the corners of their eyes.

"Ah, Yuki you're awake!" said Ayame cheerfully. Yuki ignored him, still incensed about the incident of the previous day.

"Honda-san, did you make this...?" he asked Tohru, indicating his glass.

"No, that was Artemis," Tohru replied casually, making the final adjustments on the horses' saddles. Yuki looked up, surprise written all over his face.

"Artemis...? I would never have guessed that he... Where is he, anyway? I would like to thank him."

"I think he went with Kyo and Haru to find more water," Tohru replied. "They should be back any minute..." she trailed off at the sound of yelling and cursing drifting towards them.

"It sounds like they're coming back." Yuki observed blithely.

"You're never going to win, so why don't you just give up now while you're ahead and still in one piece?" Artemis said as he came into sight. In answer, Haru let out a furious yell and tried to body slam the demon, but ended up flat on his back.

"LIKE HELL!" shouted the Ox, picking himself up. He was sopping wet for some reason, and his whole left side was streaked with mud. "Look what happened to my _clothes_, god dammit!"

"May I remind you that it was _you_ that attempted to attack me whilst my back was turned?"

"Yeah, after you made that crack about my martial arts skills!"

"Well, I was right wasn't I?" While Artemis and Haru bickered, Kyo, also soaking wet, was seething behind them. He stormed over to his horse, and pulled a towel out of his pack.

"Um, what happened...?" Tohru asked him.

"That bastard demon threw us both into the damned stream!" he burst out, shooting Artemis the filthiest look he could muster.

"Only because you practically threw that stupid Cow into me!" Artemis interjected furiously.

"Um, I think maybe you should start from the beginning," said Tohru. It was several minutes of shouting and cussing before Tohru could get any sense out of them, and when she finally got them to begin explaining themselves, they kept angrily interrupting one another. Apparently, Haru had once again challenged Kyo to a fight. Kyo had ended up getting angry and kicked Haru straight into Artemis's back. Artemis had of course lost it then and threw them both into the stream. Haru snapped and turned Black and tried to attack the demon, but ended up getting thrown into the ground, which clarified why he was covered in mud.

"Oh, I see... And you didn't bring any extra clothes... No worries though, I believe there are extra clothes in those packs. They're probably too big for you, but it's better than walking around in wet clothes." Tohru told the two boys cheerfully. Haru nodded and began to dig around in his pack. Soon, he had pulled out a pair of breeches and a shirt, two sizes too large, and went away to change. Kyo, after he had finished with Artemis, or rather, after Artemis had finished with him, also found an extra set of clothes and disappeared.

Yuki took one look at the fuming demon and decided to save his thanks for some other time.

Half an hour later, everyone was back on their horses and on their way to Lucifer's castle, though after five minutes Yuki saw that it was not going to be nearly as quiet as it had the day before.

"Dammit Kagura, get the hell away from me!" yelled an infuriated Kyo.

"Aw, Kyo you're so mean!" whined Kagura.

"Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?"

"Because I love you so much!"

"Well I don't love you!"

**_"WHY... NOT....?"_**

"I'm so sorry!" Ritsu shrieked. "I don't know what I did, but I'm SOOOO SOOOORRRRRYYYY!!!!"

"Would you please shut up, you stupid Cat?" Yuki requested in annoyance.

"Why don't you try and make me?!"

"—RRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SOR—"

"BRING IT ON YOU DAMN RAT, I'M GOING TO **_KILL_** YOU THIS TIME!!!"

"Are we there yet?" gritted Artemis through clenched teeth.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, and I can say it without flinching, sobbing, fainting, screaming, howling, moaning, choking, gagging, vomiting, curling into a ball, or having an apoplectic fit.**

Next chapter you'll get to meet Malacoda and Lucifer and the other people, I promise!!! Just be patient please... And I'm sorry it took me so long to get this one out, but due to delays that I could not control (my mom was playing on the computer ALL DAY) this was a little late.

Let's see, I usually ramble on and on about this time, but now I really don't have anything to say. I'll just sit here I guess and twiddle my thumbs. La dee dee, dee dee, deh dum...

-Raha-


	18. The Infernal Brothers

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Eighteen: The Infernal Brothers**

* * *

"So... this is the castle?" Kyo said doubtfully, looking up at the parapet of unsteady spires, worn out walls, tottering turrets, stained stones, cracked casements, and anomalous archways. From what he had been expecting, this was a bit... anti-climatic.

"Yeah, this is it..." Tohru sighed. "It's... it almost seems like it's a lot worse from the last time I was here..."

"He _really_ needs to get himself a repairman," Artemis snorted, surveying the wreck above them. The castle was sitting square in the middle of a valley, surrounded by mountains, on the edge of a shimmering lake. As they had gotten closer to the castle, the terrain had gotten increasingly rougher. Long, jagged trenches had torn up the ground, as if a gigantic creature had run its talons through the earth like a cat sharpening its claws, which they had to detour, which got tedious after a while.

Meanwhile, Tohru and Artemis had been kept busy all day with the constant appearance of the local demons. All of them, every single one, were in some state of drunkenness. The lower demons seemed to be the worst off, they would come in out of nowhere, hardly knowing or caring where they were, talking nonsense, singing obscene songs, and pretty much acting outrageously.

Artemis had finally lost it when one of the demons started hitting on him and Tohru and Yuki ended up having to hold him back from tearing the creature apart. All in all, it had been a very taxing ride, not to mention that Haru had turned Black three consecutive times and tried to attack Artemis, and Kyo was not far from generating a Black personality himself. He and Haru now both hated Artemis with a passion, and showed it.

"Well, let's go up and assess the damage," Tohru said wearily. "Pol, thank you for your help. We wouldn't have found it if it weren't for you."

"No prob'em... my pleashure..." muttered the fairy as he stared dazedly at Tohru from his seat on her horse's head. A second later he had toppled off and Tohru had to dive to catch him. She set him gently on a rock out of the way.

"I'm surprised we even got here, he looks drunker than yesterday," Yuki murmured

"Yeah... Pol, would you just stay here for a while, until your head clears up? It's dangerous to drink and fly, you know."

"'kay..." replied the fairy. "If ya ever need mah 'elp agin, don' 'esitate ta call me."

"We won't," Tohru said with a kind smile, sliding off her horse and leading it towards a one-man wide trail that wound its way down into the valley. Yuki slid down off his own horse and followed her, the other Sohmas not far behind.

An hour and three and a half quarters later they were standing before the decrepit castle's front door. Tohru grasped the iron knocker in both hands, lifted it up, and slammed it down again. A metallic boom echoed throughout the fortress. They waited for a minute, and when no one answered the door, Artemis shoved it open and walked in. The foyer was in a lot better shape than Tohru had expected. Except for a slight layer of dust, everything was in perfect order. For some reason, she had expected the place to be a wreck.

"Lucifer?" she called out. "Lucifer...? Malacodaaaa!"

"Ren?"

Tohru looked up at the girl standing at the top of the staircase and the first genuine smile she'd had in many days lit up her face.

"Val," she breathed. "Hi." Val's answer was to let out a joyous yell, fly down the stairs, and fling her arms around Tohru's neck.

"It's about time you showed up!" she cried, while Tohru gasped for air.

"If you keep that up she'll suffocate," Artemis stated calmly. Val pulled away from Tohru to give her some air and eyed the demon with mock haughtiness.

"I see _you_ haven't changed," she said seriously.

"Neither have you," Artemis replied severely. Val held her stoic expression for a second more before her face cracked into a grin and she hugged Artemis as well. The demon looked incredibly put out but he tolerated it for a moment before shoving her away. Tohru laughed quietly, smiling like an idiot for a moment before realizing the Sohmas were still there.

"Oh! Introductions!" Tohru gasped. "This is Valery Halla, or Val. I believe we mentioned this earlier, but she's in charge of reconnaissance and the like. Val, these—"

"Actually, Ren, could we do introductions later...?" Val asked sheepishly. When Tohru looked confused, she hurriedly explained. "Look, there's a sort of... problem."

"_Problem_?" Artemis repeated. "What sort of problem?"

"No one's hurt, are they?" Tohru gasped anxiously.

"No! Nothing like that! It's just that... Lucifer and Malacoda... are very, very, _very_ inebriated..."

"Of _course_... I _knew_ something like that had happened, what with all the demons around here acting like they'd lost their minds..." Artemis growled wearily.

"Is getting drunk some sort of new fad among demons?" Shigure asked. Artemis shot him a warning look and he stared back innocently, but decided it was better for his health not to comment further.

"Where are they?" Tohru asked.

"Come on, I'll show you," Val said, leading her, Artemis, and Jyuunishi, plus Kyo, back up the stairs and down several hallways.

Shigure was not sure of what to expect when Val opened a door and led them into a spacious room with only a table and two chairs and countless empty bottles littering the floor. Two men were seated in those chairs and were laughing their heads off for no apparent reason at all. It was a few moments before the younger looking of the two spotted them, got a hold of himself, climbed heavily to his feet, staggered towards them, and seized Akito's shoulders in an iron-like grip.

"_I am the alpha male... It is now time to mate..."_ the man said very slowly while he gazed deeply into the Head Sohma's eyes with the utmost of seriousness before Akito promptly threw him into a wall.

"_What_ was that...?" Akito hissed, his eyes snapping, his voice dropping to twenty million degrees Kelvin. The Sohmas stared blankly at Akito, frozen in place by shock, otherwise they would have quickly exited the room for the Head Sohma's sudden 180 degree turn. Up until then, he had been surprisingly tolerant, and almost pleasant. Now he looked like he was ready to go to war on the world, or more likely, one of his cousins. Even Artemis seemed a bit uneasy and had settled automatically into defense-mode.

In fact, the only one in the room, that was not inebriated of course, that was totally oblivious to the charge in the air was Val. She stepped lightly past Akito to look over the dazed man and let out an admiring whistle before turning to face Akito with a cheery smile.

"Well done!" she congratulated. "Who are you, anyway?"

At first Akito didn't seem to register what she had said, so for a moment he just stared at her in incredulousness, while the Zodiac members looked on in shell-shocked trepidation.

"Akito. Sohma Akito." He said finally, relaxing slightly. The other Sohmas let out repressed sighs of relief upon feeling the tension in the air ease up a bit.

"Well, Akito, you really nailed him... Course, someone had to do it. Pity it wasn't me." Val said casually as Tohru slipped past her to pull the man to his feet and help him to a chair.

"Malacoda? Can you hear me?" she asked, waving a hand in front of his face. The man, presumably Malacoda, stared uncomprehendingly at her before recognition clicked and he smiled widely.

"Ren!" he said loudly. "There you are, we were just talking about you! Yes, you are there and talking about you we were!"

"How many bottles have you had...?" Tohru asked, looking around the room.

"About a hundred... A hundred we have had... each..."

"_Each_?!" squeaked Tohru. "But... It doesn't look like there're two hundred bottles here..."

"I think they threw some out the window..." Val said.

"Why didn't you stop them?" Artemis demanded.

"I've been busy!" Val cried defensively. "I haven't even been here for the past week!"

"They were left alone for an entire _week_?!" Artemis howled. "You realize that with Lucifer drunk, the entire populace of the demons here were also out of commission? All the higher demons have left, and all the lower ones are acting like they're brains have melted! An Angel could have snuck in and wiped them all out, and no one would have been able to do a damn thing about it!"

"Well, don't yell at me! It's not my fault those two decided to have a few drinks!"

"A _few_ drinks?! How about a few _hundred_?!"

"Artemis..." Tohru said wearily, holding up her hands in a calming gesture. "It's no use yelling at her, it wasn't her fault they temporarily lost their sanity or anything that resembled reason... What bothers me, is why they decided to do this in the first place... I can understand Malacoda, but Lucifer..." she trailed off, looking at the other man that was currently passed out face down on the table, his hand still holding a half-empty bottle of rum. Malacoda reached over and took it from him and started to gulp it down.

"Oh, no you don't. No more alcohol for you." Val said, speaking as if the demon were a child spoiling his dinner with cookies. Then she began to gather up the remaining bottles and dump them out the window.

"No! No, not good! Not good!" Malacoda cried, lurching to his feet to stop Val, but he was too intoxicated to see straight, much less walk the three feet of distance to reach her in order to do anything of any importance.

"I'm afraid it's for your own good," Val told him mercilessly.

"No, it's not good! The rum—!"

"Yes, Malacoda, the rum is gone. Or it will be in a moment."

"_Est pourquoi le bizarre allé?!"_ Malacoda demanded, so furious that he switched languages.

"Because it apparently dissolves any capacity to think or act rationally... or at least that is what I'm told."

"_Mais est _pourquoi _le bizarre allé...?"_

"Come on," Tohru said wearily, turning away and motioning for the Sohmas to leave. "I'll show you to your rooms..."

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, nor do I own Pirates of the Caribbean; Curse of the Black Pearl. Heh. Heh, heh. Heh, heh, heh. Heheheheh. Hehahahaha! Hahahahaha!!! Muahahahahahaaaaa! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

* * *

Translations:

**French**

_Est pourquoi le bizarre allé_ – Why is the rum gone

_Mais est pourquoi le bizarre allé_ – But why is the rum gone

* * *

You may notice that the lines spoken in French by Malacoda are those taken from Pirates of the Caribbean. That is my favorite line of all time, from my favorite movie of all time, so I knew I had to work it in somewhere, as an expression of awe in the presence of such esteemed writers as Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio. I also thought it would be cool to have it in French.

Let's see, things will begin to pick up from here. Momiji will meet Millie next chapter, but after that I have no idea. Any suggestions would be wonderful! Also more reviews. I can't believe I've actually got a hundred, or almost, so far! It's unbelievable how many people liked this story, so thank you so very much! You've all been great and patient and supportive!

Unfortunately, with school starting up soon, I won't be able to update as much as I'd like... Also, I have scholarships to write out and those, sadly, are priority. So I'll try to write as much as possible now, kay?

Tchau! (That's Portuguese for 'bye')

-Raha-


	19. The Meeting Of Millie

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Nineteen: The Meeting Of Millie**

* * *

Momiji closed his door with a sigh after wishing Tohru goodnight, grateful to hear Kyo and Yuki's squabbling recede down the hall. Today had been a long and tiring day, not to mention that he was sore from head to toe from riding all morning and the majority of the afternoon. All he wanted now was fall into his bed and go to sleep. Momiji opened the dresser Tohru had informed him was in the room, and after rooting around, he found suitable nightclothes: an overlarge shirt that draped past his kneecaps. Slowly he undressed, pulled on the shirt, and turned around to come face to face with the biggest pair of green eyes he had ever seen.

He leapt back with a yelp and fell over the edge of the rug to land flat on his bum.

"Hello," said the face that belonged to those eyes. The person, a girl, was staring at him curiously over the back of a recliner that had been facing the fireplace, so when he had entered he had not even known she was there as she would have been completely concealed if she had been sitting.

Her eyes seemed to dominate her face, and were the most striking shade of green, but it was not her eyes that drew his attention. It was her ears. Nestled within her short locks the lightest shade of blonde; her ears were covered in light brown fur with pink insides. They extended from the sides of her head, wider at the base and tapering down at the tips, and resembled something close to lamb ears.

_She's a demon..._ Momiji thought with an uneasy jolt, but for some reason, he did not see her as a demon. He saw her as a girl, perhaps a year or two younger than he was.

"What are you doing on the floor?" asked the girl in amusement. Momiji could only stare at her in shock for a moment before he scrambled to his feet bashfully.

"Nothing, I just fell over," he replied.

"What did you fall over for?" the girl laughed.

"I didn't do it on purpose..."

"What's your name?" The girl asked, rolling over to stare at him upside down.

"Oh, I'm Momiji Sohma," he replied with another smile. Suddenly, to his surprise, the girl's face lit up ecstatically.

"Sohma?! Are you really? Millie's wanted to meet a Sohma!"

"Who's Millie?"

"Ha, ha! Millie is Millie, silly!" laughed the girl. Suddenly she turned serious. "Do you like turtles? Millie likes turtles."

"Turtles...?" Momiji said, still trying to figure out who Millie was, and who this girl was. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before.

"What animal are you? Are you a turtle?" Momiji stared at her blankly, wondering if she was somehow mocking him, but she was all innocence and seriousness and laughter. He stopped looking at her, for she was confusing, and opted instead to look at the rug.

"No, I'm not a turtle, I'm a human..."

"But if you're a Sohma, you turn into an animal, right?" Momiji's eyes shot up in surprise.

"You know about the Curse?" he gasped. _Who is she!?_

"Of course, silly! Do you really change when you're hugged?"

"Y-yeah, I do..." he stammered. The girl somersaulted backwards over the top of her chair with a wild laugh.

"What animal is Momiji, I wonder?" she said to herself. "Come to me, and reveal your secrets!" She cried, her voice deep and dramatic, and she threw her arms around his neck. When the smoke cleared, Momiji was in Rabbit form, and was on the floor with the girl sitting next to him beaming gleefully.

"You're the Rabbit!" She grinned in delight. "Millie wanted to meet the bunny! Millie is a bunny, too!"

"Huh...?" Momiji sputtered, and then blinked when the girl faded away to leave a rabbit about his size, with brown spotted fur and a little silver chain around her neck, staring back at him. "_Huh_?!" the Rabbit repeated. The other rabbit leapt on him and pinned him down playfully.

"See? Millie is a rabbit, too!" Momiji was too shocked for words.

"So... so you're Millie?" he said finally.

"Yeah! Can Millie call you Miji? Momiji is too many syllables."

"Yeah, sure, Mitchi's fine..." Momiji answered dazedly.

"Mitchi? Miji?"

"Huh? Oh. Sometimes people called me Momitchi, instead of Momiji. There isn't much of a difference, though, is there?"

"Why?"

"Momitchi is the German version of my name. I'm half German, half Japanese."

"Artemis is German, too! Millie likes Mitchi. Mitchi, Mitchi, Mitchi!" Millie said and laughed. "Let's be friends, okay?"

"Uh... Okay!"

"If you're here, does that mean Ren is here, too?" Millie asked hopefully, changing the subject and throwing Momiji off a little.

"You mean Tohru...?"

"Tohru...? Millie does not know anyone named Tohru. She knows Ren, and Ren must be here if you are."

"Yeah, she is... why...?" Suddenly something clicked into place. "Oh! Are you the Millie that was in charge of translating all the Angelic stuff?"

"Millie can translate anything! She is good with languages, she is a language god!" She got up off Momiji and suddenly she was human Millie again, fully clothed. A second later Momiji changed back, not so clothed. He looked at her with mock envy.

"I wish I could do that," he said with a smile.

"This is not Millie's true form. Millie is really a rabbit... this form is an illusion Millie puts in Mitchi's head."

"Why? I thought you were a cute bunny!" Momiji said teasingly.

"Mitchi is nice. Millie uses this illusion to make people more comfortable. People do not like to talk with talking bunnies..." she said, looking sad for a second before a happy grin overtook her features again. It was not a fake smile to cover up sorrow, but a genuine smile. Her moods seemed to change like the moon.

"Millie is going now," she said. "She wants to see Ren before she goes to bed. Nighty-night, dream sweet, don't let the beddy bugs sink their teeth in you!" And she was gone.

"Good night..." Momiji said to the empty room and, his head spinning, he slipped beneath his bed covers, fell asleep, and dreamed of little brown bunnies jumping over the moon.

When the Rabbit woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he was very warm. A few minutes later he realized that the source of his warmth was the small brown rabbit he was curled around. Momiji stared for a moment at Millie, currently tucked under his chin, before shrugging and wrapping his arms around her, his lips curling into a smile. If he had been Kyo or Yuki he would have leapt out of his skin, but right now he was much too comfortable.

Ten minutes later, when Millie began to stir, Momiji released her and sat up sleepily. Millie hopped out of his bed and suddenly she was human again. She stretched tiredly, her eyes puffy and her very short hair, which always looked a bit disheveled, was even more tousled. Her clothes, unwrinkled, were different today, except for the little silver necklace.

"Where'd you get that necklace?' asked Momiji curiously.

"Millie found it!" Millie replied, an overly cheerful smile on her face, her head cocked, and her eyes closed. She looked almost too innocent.

"Breakfast time!" she announced in a singsong voice before he could question her further. "Mitchi, let's go!"

"Okay, let me get dressed first!" he replied happily, bouncing up. She skipped out the room and urged him to hurry up every five seconds through the door. Then they both slid down the banister, several times, before she led him into the kitchen. Tohru, Kyo, Artemis, Kagura, Isuzu, Shigure, Hatori, Kisa, and Hiro were already there. They all stared at her ears, but they had seen things far more unusual and were beginning to get used to it. Besides, Artemis had ears _and_ a tail.

"Good morning, Momiji!" Tohru greeted. He smiled back at her.

"Morning, Tohru-chan!"

"See you've met Millie," Artemis said gruffly. To Momiji's surprise, Millie beamed, ran to the demon, and crawled into his lap. Artemis glared around at them all, daring them to comment, but let her stay there. Tohru smiled and reached over to ruffle Millie's hair affectionately.

"You want anything for breakfast?" she asked.

"Potatoes!"

"Potatoes for _breakfast_...?" Kyo snorted.

"Why not? I'll have potato pancakes," said Momiji and climbed into the stool next to Artemis.

"Potato pancakes!" Millie cried, punching her fist in the air. Then she slid down from Artemis's lap and scrambled into the stool on Momiji's other side.

"Where's everyone else, Tohru-kun?" the Rabbit asked.

"Yuki-kun's still sleeping..." Tohru said while she made the potato pancakes. "Ritsu-san's in his room. I tried to get him to come out, but he said he'd be down later. I think Ayame-san's also in his room—"

"Primping," added Hatori, sipping his tea.

"I haven't seen Akito-san..."

"Like we care where _he_ is," muttered Kyo.

"I don't know where Haru-kun is, he wasn't in his room..."

"He's lost. Again." Kyo snorted.

"And Malacoda and Lucifer are still in bed with the worst hangover of their lives," Tohru finished, a hint of smug satisfaction in her voice.

"What's this I hear?" Shigure cried in mock surprise. "Do I hear our little Tohru gloating over other people's pain?"

"Poor things," Tohru added with mock-sympathy and wide eyes, and Shigure began laughing. When he had regained himself he turned to look at Millie.

"And who is this?" he said kindly.

"Millie," said Millie, eyeing him curiously. "Who are you?"

"Shigure Sohma, pleased to make your acquaintance," said Shigure with an overly dramatic bow. Hatori resisted the urge to roll his eyes and continued to quietly sip his tea.

"What animal are you?" Millie asked, spinning on her stool. Shigure froze.

"Artemis mentioned her before, she's in charge of translating the old manuscripts, and is one of the few here that knows about your curse, remember?" said Tohru. Shigure shook himself, smiling widely.

"Ah, yes, I remember now! I just assumed that she would be... older."

"But Mille _is_ older, silly!" Millie laughed. "She will be three hundred and twenty seven exactly this year!" This announcement was met with stunned silence as the Sohmas gaped at the girl. Tohru handed her the potato pancakes and she tucked in, oblivious to their stares.

"Three hundred and twenty seven...?" Shigure repeated after five minutes. Millie pushed her empty plate towards Tohru in a silent plea for more and nodded at the Dog.

"What animal are you?" she asked Shigure again, not to be deterred.

"The Dog..." Shigure replied dazedly. Millie's face broke out into a large smile and she nodded her obvious approval.

"How can you be three hundred and twenty seven?" Hiro demanded.

"What animal are you?" Millie asked him, avoiding the question.

"Nuh-uh, I asked you first." In answer Millie hugged him.

"Oh, you're the Ram!" she giggled, while Hiro stared agape at her. "Baaa-aaad boy, should have answered Millie's questions!" she sang, setting Hiro on the counter and spun around in her stool again. When she stopped, she tried to look straight back at Hatori, who was sitting directly behind her at the table.

"What's your name?" she asked him seriously, trying to mimic his stoic expression while practically hanging upside down.

"Hatori Sohma." The Dragon answered calmly, faintly curious about this strange demon girl, and slightly amused by her antics.

"What are you?" The present Sohmas (Hiro had fled with his clothes) snickered into their hands. When Hatori hesitated, Shigure said, "You might as well tell, Ha'ri, or she'll find out herself."

"I'm the Dragon..." Hatori said grudgingly. Millie's eyes lit up.

"Dragon? I know some dragons!"

"...You _know_ some dragons?" Hatori said, looking directly at her for the first time. She nodded, smiling.

"Uh-huh. Ren can open doors, right? There is a door to a world with dragons. Millie met them."

"Really?" Hatori said nonchalantly, perfectly hiding the fact that Millie now held his rapt attention, and sounding as if he was used to hearing that there were real dragons somewhere in another universe all the time.

"Oh, yes! Maybe you can meet them sometime..." she looked at Tohru, who looked thoughtful.

"That's doubtful," Artemis said. "Last time I heard, Faeror was just readying her troops for a war. I doubt it's over." At the Sohma's confused faces, Tohru said, "Faeror is the reigning Queen of the Dragons, along side King Sirius."

"What's you're name?" Millie asked Kisa, having spun her stool and come to a stop facing the Tiger.

"Kisa..." Kisa said shyly. "I'm... the Tiger." Millie stopped her spinning and stared at her seriously.

"Are you going to eat me?" she asked solemnly, or at least attempting to be solemn. She kept fidgeting, fighting the urge to laugh or smile. Kisa looked confused and shook her head.

"Why would I...?" she started, and then stopped with a gasp when Millie suddenly became a rabbit. There was an instant outcry of questions at this.

"How did you do that?"

"Are you a demon like Artemis?"

"What are you?!"

"What are you?" Millie countered, turning to Kyo, who had spoken last.

"...The Cat." Kyo answered impatiently after some thought. He didn't really feel like turning into a cat so early in the morning, much less being hugged by such a strange person.

"_Ooooo_, the outcast," Millie chanted dramatically. Kyo bristled. "Artemis is an outcast, too, isn't that right?" She continued, looking at the demon, who glanced up at her over the rip of his teacup and nodded slowly.

"Outcast from what?" Kyo asked despite himself.

"From Hell. I can only come here with Tohru." Artemis replied.

"Who is Tohru?" Millie queried.

"Ren," said Artemis simply.

"Ren isn't Tohru, silly!" Millie scoffed brightly. Artemis shook his head and didn't comment further on the matter, giving it up for a lost cause. He hadn't expected Millie to think of Tohru as anyone else _but_ Ren, anyway. Meanwhile, Millie had turned back to Kyo.

"What's your name?"

"...Kyo."

"Kyo? Millie likes that name," Millie said approvingly and turned to Kagura to ask the same questions, leaving Kyo to blink at her in bemusement.

"I'm Kagura, and I'm the Boar!" Kagura said cheerfully before Millie could even ask anything. Millie blinked and smiled gleefully at her and turned finally to look at Isuzu, who ignored her.

"What's your name?"

"...What's it to you?"

"What's your na-ame?" Millie sang.

"Leave me alone, brat."

"I command you to teeeelll meeeee." Millie intoned.

"Stop asking me!"

"Pretty please?"

"If I tell you, will you leave me alone?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Isuzu."

Silence.

"What's your animal?"

"I thought you said you were going to leave me alone!!!"

"I did...?" Isuzu looked incredulously at the girl and then let out an annoyed sigh of defeat.

"I'm the Horse, now will you quit _bothering_ me?" Isuzu demanded. For answer Millie hopped off her stool, held out her arms like airplane wings and ran out the room, crying, "VROOOOM!!!!!" all the way up the stairs and out of sight.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. I am not a thief. I am _not_ a thief.**

Wow, that was a _lot_ longer than I'd intended. But I couldn't find a suitable place to stop, so I kept just kept going for a while. But what am I explaining myself for? You're probably glad it was longer, ne? Excuse me I'm being presumptuous. But you are, right? I knew it.

How do you like Millie? I think she turned out wonderfully, I really like her. Before this, I hadn't really fleshed out her character too much, and wasn't even sure of how she would turn out. But I really like her. At first I was going to make her sort of shy, like Kisa, but a lot more jumpy and a bit paranoid. But I decided in the end to model her after Edward in Cowboy Bebop. I think she's much better like that. Momiji-Millie romance-ness later!

In response to FruitsBasketcase, yes. If Lucifer gets drunk, it will cause a chain reaction in all the other demons, making them inebriated as well. He's the King of all hell, and all the demons are at the mercy of his will, except Artemis and Malacoda. I just thought it would be funny to have demons hitting on Artemis. Heh, heh.

Also, contrary to some beliefs, no I do not speak any language other than English. I'm sorry to say it, but no, I'm not that smart, and I apologize for not mentioning that little tidbit of information earlier, but I hate admitting it. I do fancy myself pretty intelligent, but I'm only human... SIGH... Anyway, sorry if I might have misled anyone. If you're wondering how I've got all these languages suddenly, I might direct you to a very helpful little website called... Hmmmm. It won't let me type it.... Let's see, type triple W, dot freetranslations, dot com. There, that should do it!

Später! (Later in German)

-Raha-


	20. Akito's Encounter

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twenty: Akito's Encounter**

* * *

"Well... She's an interesting character, isn't she?" Shigure commented with a crooked smile.

"What exactly is she? Is she a demon like Artemis?" Momiji asked interestedly. Tohru gave him an apologetic smile and shook her head.

"If Millie wouldn't tell you, then I have no right to. She probably doesn't trust anyone enough yet to confide anything like that," she told him gently.

"She seemed pretty trusting to me," the Rabbit said glumly.

"Don't worry, Momiji-kun, it won't take her very long to get to know you."

"And then she'll tell you more than you really wanted to know," Artemis said as he rose to his feet and walked out the door. Raha passed by him as he left and jumped up on the counter, his teeth clamped firmly on the leg of a live spider.

"Rahallion, you're not going to eat that in here are you?" Tohru demanded with her hands on her hips. In answer, Raha slowly began pulling the spider apart and eating it on the spot, his red eyes staring her down insolently. Tohru made a face and turned away in disgust. Raha finished off the spider and let out a chirp.

"Now what?" said Tohru, obviously annoyed. Raha chirped again and bobbed his head. Tohru shook her head, reached under the counter and took out a bag of coffee beans. She put a handful of the beans on the counter before Raha and put the bag away again.

"That's all you're getting for today, understand?" Raha ignored her and began to quickly devour the coffee beans, sucking them up like a vacuum.

"What happens if he has too much coffee?" Momiji asked curiously.

"He gets like you on steroids and too much candy, except with a mouth full of teeth and a set of claws," Tohru chuckled teasingly, making Momiji laugh. It was about then that Yuki wandered in, trailed by Hiro, and sat down without a word.

"Morning, Yuki!" Tohru said cheerfully, handing him a cup of tea. He looked up at her slowly, picked up the offered cup and began drinking. Within seconds his eyes lost their sleepy glaze and he sat up straighter.

"This is the same stuff from yesterday morning," he said.

"Uh-huh! I made this batch, though."

"It's good, thank you, Honda-san," Yuki said, smiling at her.

"You're welcome!"

"Good morning everyone!" Ayame announced loudly from the door. The smile wiped off Yuki's face, and a cold, indifferent frown replaced it.

"Aaya! Good morning to you too!" Shigure greeted, overjoyed.

"Ha'ri, aren't you going to even say good morning to your best friend in the whole wide world?" Ayame pouted, turning a hurt look towards the silent Hatori.

"...Morning."

"Good morning, Ayame-san!" Tohru said. "Do you want anything for breakfast?"

"I would eat anything our wonderful Tohru-kun cooked!"

"How about some potato pancakes?"

…

Millie stared through the crack of a door into a dimly lit room. There was a boy inside. He was seated in a chair and hanging out his window, staring listlessly into the sky. The boy had dark hair and black, cold eyes. Everything about him told Millie to stay away, to not bother him, to leave. But she stayed where she was, peeking through the crack in the door, wondering if he was lonely.

Finally, when she could stand her curiosity no longer, she pushed open the door and marched into the room. Akito looked up slowly, turning hard, emotionless eyes upon her.

"What's your name?" she asked, walking right up to him.

"Get out."

"Not until Millie knows this boy's name!" Millie said cheerfully.

"I thought I told you to get out." Akito said quietly, a hint of a threat in his tone.

"My name is Millie. Are you a Sohma?"

"I don't care what your name is, and I don't want an interrogation."

"Millie will keep bothering you until you tell." Millie threatened, wagging a finger at him. Akito ignored her and continued to stare out the window.

"Do you turn into an animal?"

"Go away."

"Do you?"

"Go _away_."

"Millie wants to know."

"GO AWAY!!!" Akito yelled, suddenly leaping to his feet and knocking over his chair. Millie didn't even flinch. Instead she stepped up and wrapped her arms around the boy's waist.

Akito froze. Was this girl stupid? Didn't she know who he was?

"Millie knows who this boy is now. He is lonely, isn't he?" she asked quietly, looking up at him. Akito didn't know what to do. No one, especially a child, or whatever she was, had ever tried to hug him. Not even Shigure, who was the only person that could really be at ease, at least in appearance, around the Head Sohma.

"What....?" Akito managed to gasp.

"What's your name?"

"...Akito..."

"Akito is a Sohma. Akito is the Head Sohma, isn't he?"

"How did you...?"

"Akito did not transform when Millie hugged him." Suddenly Akito's eyes hardened. He gripped Millie's shoulders and shoved her roughly away. She'd only hugged him to satisfy her own childish curiosity, not because she cared. _I'm such an idiot… to think she'd actually…_

"Get out," he snarled, picking up his chair and returning to the window.

"Akito-sama? Everything alright?" Akito looked up to see Haru in the doorway. A slow, venomous smile spread across his face.

"Yes. You can go, and take _her _with you," he said quietly, nodding politely towards Millie. Haru held out his hand for the girl. Millie skipped over and took it, but before she left she turned and said cheerfully, "Millie will be back later to see Akito, okay?" And she and Haru were gone, leaving Akito to stare listlessly out his window.

Haru glanced down at the girl walking in step with him, grasping his hand, and staring up at him with wide, green eyes.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" she asked hopefully.

"What?"

"Have you ever killed anyone? Popped someone off? Gave them curtains?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Oh..." she said, looking disappointed. "Who are you?"

"Hatsuharu Sohma. Every one just calls me Haru, though. Who are you?"

"Millie. Do you turn into an animal?"

"...Yes. Artemis mentioned you. You're the one that translates all the old texts and stuff they bring in, correct?"

"That's right! Ding ding ding! Tell the man what he has won!"

"What have I won...?"

"Where is Haru going, Millie wonders?"

"...To the kitchen."

"But you're going the wrong way! The kitchen is the other way, silly! Millie thinks Haru is lost."

"Haru's... I'm not lost."

"It's okay to say so. Millie gets lost, too, sometimes. She wanders around for days and days, starving and alone and forgotten!"

"Uh..."

"What animal are you?"

"The Ox."

"Come, I shall lead you into the light!"

"Huh?"

"Millie will show you to the kitchen."

"Oh... um, what were you doing in Akito's room? He didn't... He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No, Millie and Akito were just talking. Millie thinks Akito is very lonely."

"You may be right. But I don't think you should go back..."

"What does Haru mean, Millie wonders?"

"I mean, I don't think you should be alone with him. Just... stay away from Akito, okay? He's... he's not what you think he is."

"Akito won't hurt Millie. Haru doesn't need to his worry his head about her!" Millie said cheerfully, walking through the door into the kitchen. "Never fear for Millie and Haru are here!" she cried dramatically. "Millie has returned from the depths, and she brought a survivor!"

"Hello, good morning, Hatsuharu-kun!" Tohru said. "Do you want any breakfast?"

"Uhhh, sure..."

"Who is this?" Ayame asked, looking at Millie. Millie turned and eyed him curiously with the utmost of seriousness.

"Millie. Who are you?"

"Why, I am the great and wonderful Ayame Sohma!" Ayame said, sweeping her a theatrical bow. Millie looked delighted.

"What animal are you?"

"Animal...?" Ayame said, looking surprised and confused.

"Don't worry, Aaya, she's one of the people here that knows about the curse. Artemis told us about her, remember?" Shigure reminded him.

"But... a child?"

"Millie's three hundred and twenty seven this year," Momiji said with a smile. Ayame stared, and then blinked in surprise when he felt Millie tugging at his hand.

"What animal is Ayame?"

"You'd better tell her quick, Aaya, or she'll hug you." Shigure told him.

"Oh, well I'm the oh-so-awesome Snake." Ayame said.

"Are you poisonous?" Millie gasped.

"Ha, ha, no I don't think I am!"

"Oh... how boring..." Millie said in disenchantment, her shoulders slumping. "Haru is not a murderer, Ayame cannot poison anyone..."

"Am I boring Millie?" Momiji cried.

"No, Mitchi is not boring! Now come on, Millie wants to show Mitchi her secret place!" And with that she grabbed Momiji's hand and dragged him out of the room, while Ayame sputtered incoherently behind them.

_To be continued...._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, as you may have noticed by now.**

I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS. I'm sorry I didn't mention that earlier, I must have forgotten about it when I mentioned Tohru had mithril axe blades. Some people were a bit miffed with me, so I thought I ought to say that. I'M SO SORRY IF I OFFENDED ANYONE OR MADE ANYONE HAVE AN APOPLECTIC FIT, I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT SAYING I DON'T OWN LORD OF THE RINGS, I'LL APOLOGIZE TO THE ENITRE WOOOOORRRLLLLLDDDD!!!!!!!!

Okay, I'll stop impersonating Ritsu. Sorry, I couldn't resist he's so fun to mimic! On another note, please tell me what you think about the story so far! I absolutely love reviews and I check everyday to see if I have more, I just can't get enough attention and praise.

Sayonara, my friends!

-Raha-


	21. Of Books, Brawls, And Bonsai Trees

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Of Books, Brawls, and Bonsai Trees**

* * *

"If you're done eating, Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, there's something I'd like to show you two if that's okay."

Yuki looked up from his empty plate at Tohru and slowly nodded, smiling faintly. Kyo glanced at her from the corner of his eye and gave a short nod, wondering what it was.

"Uh, sure, I'm finished... What is it?" Yuki said.

"It's a surprise," Tohru answered mysteriously.

"Can I come?" Shigure inquired piteously. Yuki and Kyo glared, but Tohru nodded.

"Sure! The more the merrier, eh? Actually I think there's something that might interest you, too, Shigure-san," she said delightedly. Shigure rose to his feet and looked at Hatori and Ayame expectantly.

"I believe I will stay here and finish my breakfast," Hatori said graciously.

"Even though I would like nothing more than to spend quality time with my dear little brother—" Yuki shot Ayame a death glare at this. "—I still have Tohru-kun's wonderful potato pancakes on my plate. I think I'll just stay here with Ha'ri. But don't worry, Yuki-kun! There will be plenty of other times to create some wonderful Kodak moments together!"

Yuki grabbed Tohru's hand and all but dragged her out of the room. Tohru paused in the atrium, looking around thoughtfully.

"Let's see if I can remember where... Ah! This way!" she said and led them through a door, that led up a flight of stairs, down a hall, through another door, down yet another hall that led to another staircase.

"How... much... further.... is... it...?" Shigure panted as they descended the stairs.

"Just a little more," Tohru urged as she made her way down a hall. Finally they reached the end and she flung open the double doors.

Shigure caught his breath in wonder. The room he had stepped into was like something from a fairy tale. Two towering columns stood in the middle of the room on either side of the majestic fireplace that was set into the opposite wall. Spiraling staircases wrapped around the columns and reached all the way to the lofty, cathedral-like ceiling. Every thing was decorated with sculptures and paintings, and the ceiling itself sported a collage of pictures so lifelike and vivid that they almost seemed to be moving.

The room itself was mind bogglingly huge. It was the size of a couple of royal ballrooms, and on every available surface there were shelves upon shelves upon shelves filled with books of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Balconies and terraces spanned the walls, and rolling ladders extended to the books that could not be reached otherwise. Shigure could already tell that it would take a fair amount of climbing and monkey-work to get to the very top; and he determined to get to the top as the first thing he did here.

"Welcome to the Royal Library!" Tohru announced, smiling at the over-awed expressions of her companions.

"Oh, wow, Tohru-kun..." Shigure breathed, walking forward to get a better look at the wonderful room.

"Like it?"

"Oh my goodness, words can't describe the sheer joy I'm experiencing right now!" Shigure cried, whirling around to give her an excited smile. "I don't think I've ever _seen_ so many books!"

"That's wonderful!" Tohru replied, her smile jubilant. Yuki and Kyo were staring at Shigure in astonishment, having never seen him so genuinely ecstatic.

"I don't know how many books are here, but this is one of four libraries," Tohru said, and her companions' jaws dropped to the floor.

"You mean there are other libraries like _this_...?"

"Yes. This library has everything that was ever written from Earth. _Everything_. Every book, every letter, every screenplay, every E-mail, every gift card, every journal entry, every newsletter, every newspaper edition, every word published or not."

"My _God_..."

"Speaking of God, the other libraries have everything written in Heaven, as well as in Hell, and in Hirofuriae, where I spent nine years of my child hood when I was kidnapped. This Library is solely for documenting Earth. If you looked hard enough, you'd probably find anything written about or by… the Sohmas." Tohru said, with an acutely significant look at the Dog. He looked confused for a split second before realization dawned on his face.

"OH!" he gasped loudly. "Oh, Tohru-kun, this is _wonderful_!!! We could find out how the Curse started!" Yuki and Kyo stared at him in shock, then looked at Tohru as if seeking confirmation.

"You may..." Tohru answered slowly. "And you may not. There are no references here that can tell you where anything about the Zodiac Curse or your family is. There is a system of organization, but you'll have to figure that out yourself. And there's no guarantee that you'll even find it."

"Then... Why did you bring me here, if I won't be able to..." Shigure started, his face falling in disappointment.

"Because I'm saying there's at least a _chance_ you'll find something," Tohru said encouragingly. "I mean, there's no harm in _looking_ is there?"

"No, not at all!" Shigure replied happily.

"The chances of anyone finding anything, though, look like zero. If you _do_ find something, it'll be by sheer dumb luck." Yuki said bluntly, looking around the vast room.

"Yeah, looks like a waste of time," Kyo agreed reluctantly.

"But at least we'd be doing something!" Tohru countered eagerly. "I mean, if we can find out how these books are organized, we can probably find out where the information of the Sohmas is, right?"

"Yeah, but that could take days." Yuki replied reasonably.

"Well, we're not going anywhere for a while. I say we give it a try! That is, if you're up to it," Tohru added with a grin, arching a brow and inclining her head at Shigure. That was a challenge. And Shigure would be damned if he backed down from it.

"Why, of course I am!" he replied with a huge, cheerful smile. Then when Yuki and Kyo weren't looking he gave Tohru a wink and she grinned.

"Good. There're still some things I want to show Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun, but I'll be back later. Do you want to stay here, or come with us?"

"I'll linger here awhile. I want to take a look at some of these books. Even if we don't find something on the Curse, it'll still be _very_ interesting," Shigure told them, waving them off. Tohru smiled and nodded and led Yuki and Kyo out the door.

"We have to walk some more?" Kyo demanded wearily.

"It's just a little further," Tohru assured. Soon they had come to another door, not nearly as decorative as the library doors, but when it opened what it had to offer was just as breathtaking, but it was Kyo who was most affected. There were swords, katanas, axes, javelins, halberds, glaives, nunchakus, shurikens, tonfas, and daggers in racks all along the walls. He saw a shelf with martial arts books piled haphazardly into it, stuffed dummies to practice on, a large mirror in which to watch for any mistakes, all he would need to become a better fighter. He even saw boxing gloves and a punching bag in the corner. The room itself was huge, not as big as the library, but it would have given the gym at school a run for its money.

Tohru smiled at his shocked expression and stepped further into the room, looking around with fond admiration.

"I thought you might like to see this," she said, grinning over her shoulder at the Cat, who could only stare in open-mouthed wonder, marveling at everything around him. Yuki also looked quite impressed, though he was not as speechless or immobilized as Kyo was. The Rat walked over and picked up a book from one of the shelves, glanced at the title and flipped through it quickly.

"This one's about the basics on jujitsu. And these others, they're all on the techniques of martial arts, kung fu, karate... And other types of fighting as well: knife fighting, swordsmanship, professional boxing," he paused and chuckled quietly. "There's even a book here on drunken pit-fighting."

"Wow..." Kyo muttered, stepping slowly into the room.

"Can't you say something more than that? Honda-san's gone to all this trouble to please you, and you don't even have the decent manners to thank her properly." Yuki reprimanded, turning a cold and disdainful look upon the Cat. Kyo stiffened and bristled.

"Oh yeah? If you don't like it, why don't you fight me? This is the perfect place for it," he spat furiously.

"Uh, Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun..." Tohru sighed, sweating slightly.

"Why should I bother? We both know what the outcome will be."

"Yeah? Well one of these days I'm going to beat you!!! Do you hear me?!**_ I'll beat you and take my rightful place in the Zodiac, you damn RAT!!!_**" Kyo screamed and launched himself at Yuki. Yuki deftly sidestepped and stuck his foot out. Kyo's foot struck Yuki's ankle and the Cat pitched forward and landed in a pile of cushions.

_Wish there was a pile of pillows every time he pulls something like that..._ Kyo thought as he rolled over to glare up at Yuki. The belittling smirk he saw on the Rat's face sent him flying back to his feet and he threw his fist straight at Yuki's nose, hoping that he would break it.

"So. Shall we go?" Yuki said, dusting off his hands.

"Uhh, um, what about Kyo-kun...?"

"Oh, he'll be fine." Yuki assured her, looking down at the motionless Kyo. "Maybe," he muttered in an undertone. Tohru ignored him and walked over to Kyo, who was slumped against the wall, and looked him over.

"I think you knocked him out... No, never mind." Tohru said as Kyo opened his eyes.

"You okay?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. Kyo had gotten worse from Yuki than this.

"I'm fine." Kyo growled, pushed himself up and shot a vicious glare at the Rat.

"In that case, do you want to continue the 'tour'? You haven't seen the gardens or the menagerie yet..."

"Sure, Honda-san," Yuki said interestedly. Kyo hesitated and looked around the room ruefully, reluctant to leave.

"If you want you can stay here, Kyo-kun. After me and Yuki-kun look around the gardens and the menagerie we'll come back, alright?" Tohru offered with a knowing smile. Kyo nodded, glad he didn't have to go just then, or decline Tohru's suggestion. Tohru grinned and opened the door for Yuki graciously. He smiled, blushing, and passed through. As she was about to follow, Tohru glanced back and saw Kyo sinking into position in front of the mirror before the door closed.

"We'll go through the menagerie first and that will take us straight into the garden, okay?" Tohru said as she and Yuki made their way down the hall.

"Okay," he replied. "What's in the menagerie?"

"Actually, I'm not too fond of the place. There're mostly demons there, but also some animals from other worlds."

"Why don't you like it?"

"I can hear them talking... caged animals are hard enough, but the demons... They're almost insane, so..." she trailed off dejectedly.

"Then we'll go around. If you don't like it, you don't have to show it to me." Yuki said firmly, stopping right in the middle of the hall.

"But I'm one of your hosts! It's my job to show you around!" Tohru protested.

"No. I'm not going if it makes you uncomfortable. Besides, I don't like zoos myself." Tohru paused and looked at him.

"No, I suppose you don't... I'll assume you don't take kindly to science laboratories, either?" she asked with a lop-sided grin.

"Hate them with a passion," Yuki replied, returning the grin, and Tohru chuckled. They began walking again, and Tohru led him down a side passage.

"The menagerie isn't essentially a zoo, though. There are big spaces for the animals, and the more docile demons, to roam around in."

"But they're still in cages."

"Yeah."

"What about the demons who aren't so docile?"

"Their cages are a bit smaller, with thick bars instead of barbed wire fences. When I asked Lucifer to release them once he said they'd been incarcerated for crimes against his throne and against other demons. So they're like convicts, except they're on display. All they have to do is a few stupid tricks for onlookers for the rest of their lives and in return they get thrown a few meals a day." They both looked at one another, slow grins spreading across their faces.

"You know..." said Yuki slowly. "Publicly shaming criminals in front of a jeering crowd for the rest of their lives sounds a lot better than sentencing them to death."

"Yeah, you could teach them humility, entertain the public, and make a little money on the side all at the same time!" Tohru exclaimed. "It's a win-win deal. You could call it the Criminal Carnival!" They both laughed. By this time, though, they had stepped outside and walked through the gate and into the garden. Yuki stopped and marveled.

The place was gorgeous, as he had expected. It was a work of art. Flowers of all kinds weaved in and out and around each other like a vibrant and fragrant maze. Yuki saw hedges that had been cut to look like famous statues and sculptures, some familiar and some otherworldly. There were miniature bonsai trees, streams, tiny waterfalls, and even rainbows here and there. It was a truly magical sight. He also spotted vegetables, fruits, and herbs growing among the living art, and even adding to the magnificent scenery.

"This place is wonderful..." he breathed. "Who did all this? Servants?"

"No," Tohru answered with a shake of her head. "There aren't any gardeners here. Most demons don't have the eye to create something as beautiful as this. Lucifer was the one that did it."

"Lucifer?! The _King_?!" Yuki cried in disbelief.

"He's confined to Hell, and he's been here for a long time now. He had to do something with his time."

"Did he also make the library and the training room, too?"

"No, the lower demons helped him there. You wouldn't know it from looking at most of them, but they can make excellent carpenters."

"How did he get all those books?"

"Magic probably. Come on, I want to show you something."

"There's something else?" Yuki asked, his eyes widening. Tohru nodded and led him through the maze of flowers and hedges and steams and bonsai trees and finally to a little enclosure tucked away in a corner.

Every single inch of the cobbled-stone walls were covered in ivy, so they had to search for several minutes among the vines before they found the small wooden door that led inside, and even then they had to struggle to make it open.

At last they stepped through into an overgrown, chaotic, weed-choked little garden. There was a dried up fountain standing in the middle, clogged over with vines and grass and covered in algae. The small bonsai trees had grown in every direction, free of any restraint, and no longer resembled anything but a leafy mess. And if there were any blossoms, they belonged to the weeds.

"This was mine... But I haven't been here in so long that I guess it just grew out of control," Tohru said, looking around sadly. "It used to be such a pretty little place... Well, actually it still is, in a sort of wild, unrestrained type of way," she corrected cheerfully.

"That's so like you..." Yuki murmured warmly.

"Pardon?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Yuki-kun...?" Tohru asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"If you'd like, do you want to help me get this place back in order? We could fix it up and stuff. It could be the new Secret Base while you're here. I know you probably miss home, at least I do, so I thought..." she trailed off at the surprised look on his face, then went on hurriedly. "I just thought we could kill some time, you know, but if you don't want to, that's okay!"

"No, Honda-san, I'd love to help you!" Yuki said. "I was just surprised that you asked, is all. And it _would_ help me to keep my mind off home, and I like this place. It's so... peaceful. I'm glad it's here, and I'm glad to help you," Yuki said, a soft smile touching the corners of his mouth. Tohru smiled back, her cheeks feeling warm, as a small bubble of happiness rose within her.

"I'm happy to have your company, Yuki-kun," she replied and handed him a pair of shears.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, but I do own Raha, Ren (NOT TOHRU), Malacoda, Lucifer, Val, Millie, any other characters that show up, and Artemis.**

**Artemis: Damn it...**

* * *

I really liked that chapter; I believe it turned out well, don't you? It's one of my favorites, I think. I hope you liked it, too, I put a lot of thought into that one and it's going to tie into the major story, if it turns out how I want it to that is, so log that one away somewhere, and review!

Also, in response to Fox Fire, Hatori is the Year of the Dragon, but he's like the Dragon's offspring, so he looks like a seahorse whenever he transforms. I know... it's kind of weird. In this fanfiction, I think I refer to Hatori as the Dragon... I don't know, I've forgotten if I call him a seahorse or not. Ah, well.

Arrivederci!

-Raha-


	22. The Mabudachi Trio's Complete Waste Of T...

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: The Mabudachi Trio's Complete Waste Of Time**

* * *

Shigure stood in the middle of the vast library, slowly gazing around at all the books. He was definitely going to need help sorting through everything if he wanted to find something on the Sohmas, and without any references...

_I wonder if I ought to tell Akito..._ he thought. _Not yet. I'll tell him, but there's no point if I don't find anything, and I'm not sure how he might react. But if there's a chance to break the curse... I think I'll tell Ha'ri and Aaya, though. Yes, I think I'll go tell them now and while I'm at it, I'll enlist them in helping me search._

Shigure turned on his heel and fifteen minutes later, he had somehow taken several wrongs turns, arrived in the kitchen where Hatori and Ayame were still seated at the table. Ayame was talking animatedly, while Hatori just sat there and pretended to listen.

"Hey, where are Kagura and the others?" Shigure asked, looking around the otherwise empty room.

"There you are, Shii-chan! We were wondering when you'd get back!" Ayame cried, waving at Shigure to come join them

"Where's everyone else?" Shigure asked again, stepping closer.

"They went off exploring about ten minuets ago. Come sit with us!" Ayame said, pointing to nearby chair.

"Not right now, there's something I want to show you two," Shigure said seriously while he jumped around on his toes in place like a little girl.

"Oh, okay!" Ayame agreed at once as he stood up.

"What is it?" Hatori asked. He hadn't moved.

"It's a surprise! Come on now!" Shigure sang and led Ayame and a reluctant Hatori out the kitchen door, up and down the several flights of stairs, down a few hallways and through the Library door.

"What is this place?" Ayame breathed in wonder.

"The Royal Library!" Shigure announced. "It has everything ever written from our world. Every book, every comic, every diary, every porn magazine, every screenplay, you name it, we got it!"

"It has _everything_?" Ayame gasped incredulously.

"Yes! Everything anyone has ever written. That includes any documents or manuscripts on the Sohma family... or our Curse."

"Tohru-san brought you here? This is what she mentioned you might like?" asked Hatori.

"Yes, she did, actually. It was Tohru-kun that mentioned I might find something on the Zodiac Curse in here."

"But how did it all get here?" Ayame asked.

"Tohru-kun said it was probably magic... But think of what we could find here!"

"Well let's get started, then!"

"Ummm... there's a problem."

"What?"

"There are no references."

"Then how are we supposed to _find_ anything...?"

"It doesn't matter," Hatori interjected. "Anything you want to find on our family would be in the Sohma library. And we've looked through there at least a hundred times and found nothing that might tell us how to break the Curse, or whatever it was you were thinking of doing."

"But what if there's something here that's not _in_ the Sohma Library? What if it was destroyed, or lost, or hidden? And there's no harm in looking," replied Shigure.

"And without references how do you propose we look?"

"Tohru-kun said there was a certain order to the books," said Shigure. "All we have to do is figure out that order and then we can figure out where the Sohma documents are."

"But that could take _hours_," Ayame whined.

"What else do we have to do with our time? Tohru-kun said we might be here for several days, so we might as well be doing something worthwhile."

"All right," sighed Hatori. "If you're so set upon doing this then you go right on ahead."

"You're not going to help?"

"No." was the flat reply.

"Aw, come on Ha'riiii! You would be a great help in our most noble search for answers to the questions we've waited _so long_ to have answered!" Shigure cried.

"...Oh, fine. But I still think this is a complete waste of time."

Ten minutes later the Mabudachi Trio had spread out through the room and were scanning titles, searching for anything promising.

"Hey, look at this!" Ayame called from the top of a ladder on the first story.

"Is it about us?" Shigure yelled from the second story balcony on the other side of the room.

"How are we supposed to look at it when we're more than thirty feet away from you?" Hatori wanted to know, currently clinging to a ladder between Shigure and Ayame up on the third story.

"No, Shii-chan, it isn't about us," Ayame shouted.

"Then who cares?" Hatori muttered and continued looking, shutting out his friends banter.

"What is it?" Shigure hollered.

"It's a diary!" Ayame cried.

"A _girl's_ diary?" Shigure asked.

"Yes!" Ayame replied.

"Read it!" Shigure responded.

"Aren't we supposed to be looking for Sohma texts?" Hatori demanded frankly.

"Oh yeah..." Ayame said in disappointment, and replaced the diary on the shelf and went back to scanning titles.

"Shigure, Ayame, what are the authors' names in your areas?"

"You think they're organized by the name of the author? It doesn't look like it. I've got Norman Vincent Peale, Ayn Rand, Fulton J. Sheen... Huh. They're all foreign names, so I don't suppose I'm going to find anything on the Sohmas here."

"Really? Because all I have are Chinese names here," Ayame said. "And none of them seem to have anything in common… Except the fact that they're Chinese, of course."

"I think the books here are from Africa," Hatori stated. "And they don't have any alphabetical order either. What about by title?"

"Thank God they have Japanese translations… Okay, here we go… The Power of Positive Thinking, Life is Worth Living, Atlas Shrugged... No, it doesn't seem like there's any order there either, though these authors certainly are optimistic."

"Huh, they remind me of you..." Hatori commented dryly. "What about you, Ayame?"

"Oh, let me see... At Middle Age, A Small Town Called Hibiscus, A Log Cabin Overgrown with Creepers, Half of Man is Women... Hey, I like that last one!"

"But no alphabetical order..."

"Maybe there isn't an alphabetical order to anything," Shigure said.

"But there has to be, otherwise how would anyone find anything?" Hatori demanded.

"No listen, the books I'm looking at are from an English speaking country. Ayame's books are from China, and yours are from Africa."

"What's your point?" Hatori asked.

"If you lay out a world map, we would be in almost the exact same positions as the countries these books are from. I'll bet if Aaya comes around and positions himself across from me, he might find the scripts from Japan."

"Shigure, you may be on to something. Well, well. You aren't as stupid as I thought you were," Hatori said.

"Oh, Ha'ri, stop it, your sweet, beautiful words are making me blush!" Shigure twittered while Hatori shot him a half-lidded glare.

"Hey, Shii-chan, you were right! Here's some books with Japanese titles!"

"Wonderful, just stay there! We're coming over!" Shigure and Hatori climbed to Ayame's level and made their way over to him. Again they spread themselves out with Ayame working the first floor, Shigure searching the second floor, and Hatori the third.

After about half an hour, while Shigure was entertaining himself by dropping fuzz balls from his pockets into Ayame's hair, Hatori suddenly dropped down next to him and began pulling out books and flipping them open briefly before closing them again, replacing them, and pulling out the next book.

"Hey, you're supposed to be up on the third floor!" Shigure reprimanded, rather embarrassed by being caught off task.

"Be quiet. I wanted to check something."

"You could have called down and told me what you wanted..."

"You looked far too busy to be bothered with my speculations," Hatori retorted calmly. Shigure opened his mouth to answer with some sarcastic reply, thought about what Hatori had said and its implication, and closed it again, the picture of defeat.

Meanwhile Hatori was still scanning Shigure's titles, then he dropped down next to Ayame, pulling down one book after another.

"I knew it," he said finally, an uncharacteristic smile tugging at his mouth.

"What is it?" Shigure and Ayame cried, now very much curious.

"The dates. The books get older by century by each story. The higher they are, the older they get. It looks like the oldest ones up there are from the fourteenth, maybe thirteenth centuries."

"Wow..." Ayame breathed, craning his neck so he could see the books at the very top near the ceiling.

"Okay..." Shigure said slowly. "So we know the books are sorted by date and by location. But the date shouldn't matter; the Sohmas have been cursed for hundreds of years, we should have at least _found_ something by now, no matter how high we are."

Hatori was silent for several moments before he said, "Come down to the first floor, Shigure. Perhaps if we all concentrate our efforts in a limited area we may have more of a chance of finding something."

Shigure climbed down to join his companions and they renewed their hunt with vigor.

"Hey, I found a book by me!" Shigure cried excitedly after about half an hour. "But... Oh my... I haven't even finished this one, I'm still writing it... And look, there are more here."

"If your depraved books are here, then the Sohma family records should be around here somewhere as well," Hatori said, coming over to scan the shelves. "Yet I don't see anything." After another half hour, they still hadn't found anything.

"Where are they?!" Shigure cried in exasperation. "It's like they don't even exist!"

"Still searching, Shigure-san?" said a voice behind them. Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori whirled around to find Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo standing behind them, apparently back from wherever they had gone, Kyo looking a bit more worn out than usual and Tohru and Yuki hiding dirty hands. It was Tohru who had spoken.

"So, how far have you gotten? Found anything yet?" she asked interestedly.

"I would think you have, seeing as you've drafted Hatori and Ayame to help you look," Yuki said, and Shigure feigned outrage.

"Oh Yuki, I knew you cared!" Ayame cried in ecstatic joy. "And I'm so flattered to know that you know that Shigure cannot function without my presence!"

"We found out that the books are organized by date and by location. They're roughly where they'd be on a world map and the higher they are, the older they get." Hatori explained, while Yuki glared at daggers at his brother.

"Yes, but we can't find anything on the Sohma family," Shigure said regretfully. "So we're stuck."

"But you already know all that, don't you, Tohru-san?" Hatori asked calmly. Shigure and Ayame looked at Hatori with surprise written all over their faces. Tohru blinked and grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I did."

"But then... why didn't you just tell me...?" Shigure asked in confusion.

"So you let us go through all that over nothing?" Ayame wanted to know, his normally smooth brow wrinkled slightly in bafflement.

"If you two would just be quiet she'll explain," Hatori said, a hint of coldness in his tone, and his two friends closed their mouths at once and looked at Tohru expectantly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I couldn't. If I had told you how the library was organized and you used that information to find what you wanted, in this case the manuscripts of your family, the library would have moved them else where, by magical means of course. If I had tried to take you directly to the scripts, or even if I just tried to get them for you without you being actually present, I would not be able to find them. You have to unlock the library's secret in order to find anything you want. One of Lucifer's more... annoying little jokes on anyone stupid enough to come in here and try to steal anything."

"Well, now that we've figured it out, what now?" asked Ayame. Tohru smiled, turned around and walked towards the closest column.

"This column holds nothing but family records, the interesting ones at any rate. The other column contains the boring stuff like deathdays, birthdays, income, that type of thing. Let's see, your family should be around here somewhere... Ah! Here it is!" Tohru cried, pulling down a thick, dusty volume and laid it open.

"This is a record of all the Sohmas ever to exist. And this book here..." she pulled down another book, though this one was not as thick. "This has the names of all the Jyuunishi ever to be born, the Head Sohmas, and the Cats. These bare the only two records here, as well as a family tree around here somewhere... The rest of it is important events, anything written by a Sohma, decrees, stuff like that."

"Do you mean to tell me that what we were searching for was only a few yards away?" Ayame cried in childish dismay.

"What about any information on the curse?" Shigure asked eagerly.

"That's where this gets tedious," Tohru sighed.

"Like it wasn't tedious before?" Hatori said mordantly.

"You'll find any mention of the Curse scattered all the way up the column. Sohma documents take up an entire shelf, and they reach all the way to the top. My best guess at finding anything soon is to start at the very top, and work your way down."

Everyone stared up at the distant ceiling, taking in the impossibly enormous task before them.

"I believe we can start on that tomorrow," Hatori said after a while, his eyes still drawn upwards. Somehow hanging from a ladder nine stories above the ground did not appeal to the Dragon at the moment. "Now, I think it's time we inform Akito-sama of our activities."

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket for the twenty-second time**

Sorry everyone for taking so long to write this. I know it's a little boring, but I didn't know how else to do it, and I had a slight case of writer's block, and all the while I was rather distracted. The cause of my distraction is the unbelievably adorable, tiny, irresistible new kitten we adopted. We've christened him Sammy, and he's orange and white and CUUUUUTE!

Anyway, the next chapter will be WAY better, I promise. It has more Millie-ness, and Rahallion may have a part in it. Yes, I know I've been neglecting him, but the story has been too busy and I couldn't fit him in anywhere, so I'll try from now on to include the familiar if not in the next chapter, then in the chapters to come.

-Raha-


	23. The Bars Of Fear And Distrust Make A Bit...

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: The Bars Of Fear And Distrust Make A Bitter Prison**

* * *

"Should I come with you?" Tohru asked quietly. Yuki and Kyo looked at Hatori, waiting for his answer with bated breath. Hatori could see the look Shigure was giving him, and he fully agreed. He did not want to take Tohru into Akito's room either. He didn't want her anywhere near Akito; not after he had attacked the girl. He had stopped before he had done serious harm, yes, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do it again.

But what was he afraid of? They were going to tell Akito that the Curse might be lifted, if anything, wouldn't he be happy?

But still, Hatori was hesitant to answer. But he had to say something. And Tohru could explain everything to Akito with much more ease than they could.

"Yes, Tohru-san, perhaps you can help to explain things to Akito," he said finally. Yuki narrowed his eyes, and Kyo stepped protectively closer to Tohru.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Shigure murmured next to Hatori.

"So do I." Hatori muttered.

Yuki was silent as he made his way down the hall towards Akito's room. Tohru was unusually subdued as she walked next to him. Yuki glimpsed sideways at Kyo, who was walking on Tohru's other side, caught the Cat's eye, and looked away quickly. The last thing he wanted was to set off Kyo's temper.

"Wait here, Kyo." Shigure told the Cat and knocked on Akito's door.

"Come in..."

Shigure pushed open the door and poked his head in, attempting a smile. While he greeted the Head Sohma and explained why he was there, Kyo leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes. He didn't notice Tohru quietly come to stand next to him until she took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. His eyes snapped open and he startled, turning wide eyes upon her, his cheeks burning.

"It'll be okay," Tohru said softly. Kyo nodded slightly and looked away, his heart beating a tattoo against his ribcage.

"See you later," Tohru said, released his hand, and followed Hatori into the darkened room, the door closing behind her.

"What do you want?" Akito asked softly after Tohru and the other Sohmas were seated on the floor before him. At first no one said anything.

"We've been into the library and we found something rather interesting there." Shigure said at length.

"Oh...?"

"Yes, we... that library contains all documents ever written in our world, including the Sohma records. We found them, and we think that we may find something there that might tell us how to... end the Curse."

Akito, slumped limply in his chair, sat up slowly, his eyes turning to stare at Shigure.

"How did you come across this... wondrous library?" Somehow, his tone indicated something far different from what his words implied.

"Oh... It was actually Tohru-kun that showed it to us," Shigure answered slowly.

"Was it now?" Akito said smoothly, rising from his chair. "Well, Honda-san, once again you're poking your nose where it doesn't belong, as usual," he said amiably, smiling down at Tohru. Then he took a complete 180-degree turn. He seized the front of Tohru's shirt and wrenched her up so that his face was mere inches from hers, fury in his gaze, teeth bared.

Shigure and Yuki leapt to their feet and each seized one of Akito's arms. But he had been ready for them. He grabbed the back of his desk chair and threw it into them both, knocking the Dog and the Rat to the ground. Ayame had also jumped to his feet and stared in horror at Akito and at his friend and brother lying breathlessly on the ground in front of him. Hatori was also on his feet, his body tensed to spring into action...

But something held him back. Perhaps it was the fear of having a chair thrown into his gut, or maybe he was afraid Akito might do something even worse if he tried to help. And meanwhile, Akito had begun screaming.

"Are you still prying into things that don't concern you? Still trying to help us?! I don't need your help understand? I don't! Everything was just fine before you came along! But now everyone can't stop talking about you, about how wonderful and kind and _understanding_ little Tohru Honda is! This family was _my_ responsibility, but then _you_ showed up and they all flocked to your side like a herd of sheep! **_I'M SICK OF HEARING ABOUT YOU!!!"_** Akito roared, shaking Tohru like a rag doll, his eyes glittering with a sort of mad glee, like hurting her was causing him overwhelming satisfaction. Outside, Kyo was banging desperately on the locked door, yelling frantically to be let in.

"Everyone seemed to have such high hopes for you, didn't they? They even began to say that somehow you, a stupid, bumbling fool like you, could break the Curse! Do you know how preposterous that sounds? You, breaking a Curse that has been in place for more than two hundred years? Do you realize how absurd that is?! And now, you _yourself_ say you can break it!"

"Akito-san!" Tohru shouted at the top of her voice. Which was rather loud. Akito froze, his narrow chest heaving for breath, his face twisted with... what? It wasn't anger, or even hate. His eyes were wide, the whites showing all the way around them, and he was shaking uncontrollably.

No one in the room moved or spoke. Outside, Kyo froze where he was, cold horror trickling down his back as he pictured the worst. Tohru stared into Akito's dark blue eyes, breathing heavily, and wondering. _Why is he so upset? Why does it seem like he feels he has to fight this? It's almost as if... he doesn't want us to break the Curse._

And suddenly she knew. The expression in those dark pools and on his face was... fear. _But why...?_ she thought. _What is he so afraid of? Unless..._

"Akito-san... Do you think that if the Curse is broken... that you'll be left alone?" she asked softly, and felt Akito stiffen. The other Sohmas were staring at Tohru in utter bewilderment.

"I'm right, aren't I?" she asked gently, keeping her voice very low, as if raising it might startle him as it would a wild animal. And in a way, that's exactly what he was, except he was locked in a cage with no apparent way out. Now everything made sense. All Akito knew was that cage, and now, when he was finally presented with freedom, he didn't know what to do with it.

So he did the only thing that he had done for his entire life. He stayed in his cage and stared out at the huge, and frightening, place that was the world. He was definitely scared of it, and scared that if he stepped out of the Sohma cage, that if he allowed the Curse to be lifted, that all he had known, all he was, would go with it. Including his family.

And even if he took his chance for freedom, perhaps the cage door would come slamming back down on him. How long had it taken him to come to terms with his curse? Say... his entire life? And he was still coming to terms with it. He would probably die before he accepted it.

And now, she was teasing him, torturing him with the prospect of a life, a prospect that might not even exist. If he allowed himself to believe, to hope, and that hope was shattered, as it probably would be, he would have to try and accept his fate all over again.

"I see now... You're afraid that if the Curse is broken... your family will leave you. You'll no longer have any power over them, will you? Your life has been so entwined with the Curse, with the fact that you have to die in order for the others to live, that you don't know any other way of life. Your death _is_ your life."

Tohru impulsively brought up a cool hand and cupped his hot cheek, holding his wide, astonished, petrified eyes with hers.

"Akito, it's going to be okay." For once fleeting moment, she knew her words had reached through to him. And then his walls came crashing down once more.

**_"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"_** He screamed, forcing her to her knees. "You can't do anything! You can't! You're a filthy, lying bitch! You got up everyone's hopes, and you can't even back it up, can you?! Fucking whore, I'll kill you myself if you're lying!!!" Akito shrieked, slapping Tohru hard, his fingers buried in her hair.

Shigure and Yuki by this time had got a hold of him and were trying fruitlessly to drag him off. Kyo was bashing himself against the door over and over, shouting furiously. Another voice had joined his. Some one else was pounding on the door and shouting for someone to open it. That person's wish was granted, when suddenly, the door crashed open and Kyo fell heavily into the room, followed by a breathless Kureno, but he was instantly on his feet again. He rushed over and grabbed Akito's hands in an attempt to dislodge them. Kureno hurried towards Akito, begging him to stop.

A shriek rent the air as a small, furry body flung itself at Akito's face and buried claws and teeth into his skin. Rahallion had come in through the open window and was now protecting his Companion with violent savagery as Akito thrashed and screamed.

"What are you doing to my daughter?" Said a calm, icy voice behind them. Tohru and the Sohmas froze. Raha released the yelling Akito and dropped to the ground, licking bloodied teeth and looked back at the man that had seemed to materialize from out of the shadows directly behind Akito and stared down at him with cold fury. Tohru looked up slowly, gasping for breath.

"Lu...Lucifer..." she stammered, her voice breaking slightly. Lucifer laid a hand on Akito's shoulder and dug his clawed fingers into the boy's flesh, just short of drawing blood.

"Let go of her." the demon ordered. His steady voice was utterly cold, with an under current of intimidation, power, and menace. Akito's hands immediately released the girl. He was white and shaking, his eyes wide with a mixture of rage and fear. Lucifer freed Akito and swept past him to Tohru, looking her over anxiously.

"Ren, are you all right?" he asked kindly, his black eyes concerned, whereas a moment ago they were hard and cruel.

"Yes, I'm fine." Tohru replied, smiling shakily up at the demon, which smiled softly in return. He had long, silky black hair tied into a loose ponytail that reached to small of his back and fell into his almost excruciatingly handsome face. Lucifer nodded once, and turned his merciless gaze back upon Akito.

"This boy was not hurting you very much, was he?" the demon asked, his gaze indicating that he knew very well what Akito had done and that he was going to make the Head Sohma suffer dearly for it.

"No..." Tohru replied shakily, and turned her gaze towards Akito. "Akito-san... I wasn't lying when I said we _might_ find a way to break the Curse in the library... And... You're right. I may just be giving them false hope, but... at least... it's better than none at all."

"Ren, would you please excuse us, I would like a private word with our guests." Lucifer said with an amicable smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Tohru was on guard at once, and looked at Lucifer with distrust.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." she said with obvious reluctance to depart.

"Now, Ren." Lucifer directed, placing a hand on her shoulder and steering her towards the door.

"But I don't—" Tohru started and then Lucifer took her hand, said, "The Royal Kitchens," and she disappeared with a crack.

"What did you do to Honda-san?!" Yuki demanded frenetically.

"Where did she go?!" Kyo cried, glaring at the demon angrily.

"What happened to Tohru-kun?" Shigure and Ayame gasped.

"Please, gentlemen, calm yourselves. I have teleported her to the kitchens so that I may speak with you," Lucifer replied in a bored and refined voice as he closed the door.

"I don't want you ever touching her again, do I make myself clear?" Lucifer said softly in Akito's ear. There had been no cracks accompanying his abrupt appearance from the door to the Head Sohma's side; he had just taken a step, seemed to disappear into the shadows, and had materialized instantaneously next to Akito.

"He better not have hurt her," said a nonchalant voice from the balcony door. The Sohmas jumped and whipped about to stare at the figure leaning casually against the doorframe. His striking features were illuminated in the moon light, making him seem almost otherworldly. He had spiky black hair that stuck straight up and red eyes with black rims, which were even deadlier than his brother's.

Malacoda sauntered into the room with the air of a cat. "You look kind of out of it, kid." He said, looking Akito over and shoved the boy into a chair. "You oughta sit down." He said amiably and seated himself on the arm of Akito's chair, took out a katana from apparently nowhere and proceeded to clean his nails with it.

There was a sort of haughty air in his ruthless narrow eyes, a playful maliciousness about those fiery orbs. And when he smiled, it was a child's smile. A child slowly pulling a small animal apart, piece by piece, and enjoying himself immensely. Lucifer silently came around to stand just behind Akito, leaning slightly on the back of his chair.

"I care about that kid a lot, so I would be very put out with who ever brought her harm," Malacoda said in a drawling, lilting voice. "In fact, I would be so upset, I don't know what I would do to the person."

Akito sat very still, watching the demon through the corner of his eye. This was the very same demon that just the night before was so drunk that Akito had easily thrown him into a wall. Now Malacoda was an entirely different person. Whereas the night before he had been a perverted fool, now he was like a viper toying with its food. Akito knew he was being threatened, that was obvious, though Malacoda's threats were far subtler than Artemis's.

"Why are they even here anyway?" Malacoda went on casually. "Wouldn't it be easier just to kill them? Hey Luci, you remember that time that snake demon almost bit Ren and I stabbed his eyes out, cut his jaw off, sliced open his gut, and pinned him to the ground, while he was still alive, for buzzard bait?" This last statement was said the utmost of jovialness.

"Don't call me Luci, Noctifer." Lucifer said coldly. "You know I hate it."

Somehow, Malacoda's threats seemed far more frightening.

"Um... Excuse me...." Shigure said somewhat warily, rising to his feet and eyeing the two demons with slight apprehension, though he was trying for a smile. Lucifer and Malacoda, a.k.a. Noctifer, looked at the Dog like they would a slug. Shigure swallowed and went on.

"You... Lucifer... You called Tohru your daughter, correct...?"

"That's correct. She is my... adoptive daughter."

"WHAT!?" Kyo, Yuki, Shigure, and Ayame yelled in shock.

"It's not that surprising. Malacoda and I took her in when she was about fourteen." Lucifer explained and may have continued, or perhaps he may not have, but at that moment, the door crashed open and Tohru staggered into the room, heaving for breath and leaning on the frame for support.

"Lu...ci...fer..." she gasped, her face flushed from running. "Don't... do... any...thing... to... Aki...to..."

"Did you run all the way here from the kitchens?" Malacoda asked, looking mildly surprised and faintly amused by her re-arrival.

"...Yes..." Tohru panted, coming into the room to glare accusingly at Lucifer and Malacoda. "Did you... do anything...?"

"No, no, of course we didn't, Ren." Lucifer assured her, waving his hand. "We just exchanged words."

"I'm surprised at you, Ren!" Malacoda cried. "You know us better than that! We wouldn't _really_ harm one of your friends."

_Yeah, right..._ Kyo and Yuki and Tohru thought, their skepticism showing on their faces.

"...Okay." Tohru said finally. "By the way, my name isn't Ren. It's Tohru Honda." Lucifer and Malacoda paused, somewhat startled. Then Lucifer smiled softly and shook his head as if to say, 'you silly girl...'

"We've known you solely as 'Ren' for a long time now...so it may take us a while to get used to the change, but we will try to follow your wishes... Tohru." Lucifer said with a polite dip of his head. Tohru nodded in return, smiling brightly.

"Thank you," she said graciously.

"Ren!" Tohru whirled around to see Artemis standing in the doorway.

"Her name's Tohru now, Wolfy!" Malacoda informed Artemis cheerfully on his way out the door.

"Don't call me Wolfy, dammit!"

"Where are you going, Malacoda?" Tohru called after the demon.

"Oh just out and about. I tire of Wolfy's nonsensical disparages." Malacoda drawled, waving lazily.

"_What_ was that?" Artemis howled with righteous indignation.

"What is it, Artemis?" asked Lucifer with accomplished poise before Artemis could work himself into more of a rut.

"Grumman's here. He wanted to see you." Artemis notified them, looking straight at Tohru, whose eyes lit up with excitement.

"Grumman?! He's here already?! But he wasn't supposed to arrive for a week more at least..." She said, looking slightly perplexed for a moment, before her positive smile returned.

"How do you know?" Artemis demanded.

"Val told me last night," Tohru replied.

"Why wasn't I told?"

"If you will excuse me," Lucifer interjected. "I'll be leaving. I have some business to attend to." And he was gone.

"Business my tail..." Artemis snorted. "Tohru, are you coming?"

"Yeah, go on a head, I'll be right there," Tohru replied. Artemis nodded and left with a swish of his coat.

"Exactly what sorts of words were exchanged here?" Tohru asked immediately after Artemis had vacated to room. Apparently she still found it quite difficult to fully trust her foster fathers. The Sohmas turned nervous eyes on Akito, waiting for his response.

"Threats." He said tightly with fists clenched to keep them from trembling, his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I thought so... They haven't changed one bit." Tohru sighed running a hand through her hair. "I'll have a chat with them later. Hopefully we'll see eye to eye on the matter."

"Hopefully...?" Akito repeated.

"Well, you _did_ sort of attack me in my own home..." Tohru muttered. "I don't think you should do that again; I'm surprised threats were _all_ they gave you." She paused then and looked at Akito, her expression thoughtful and compassionate.

"Akito-san..." she started gently. "You're right. I could be lying for all you know... and I'm sorry. I know it's cruel to tell you now, when there's no proof, but please... just trust me." With that she turned and made her way out of the room. Yuki and Kyo shot uneasy glances at Akito before hurrying after her out of the dark, cold, and bitter room.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I am not Natsuki Takaya, thus I do not own Fruits Basket for the twenty-third time. Hey, I wonder what Miss Takaya would think if she read any fanfictions for her manga?**

FINALLY! That took me forever! I've been rather busy lately with school stuff and what not so forgive me if it took me a while to update. Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, and please keep up a steady stream of compliments because it inspires me so!

Please tell me especially what you think of this chapter. It would be very much appreciated.

Now, a question for Cor-chan! (Or any other reader that happens to know the answers...) About Kyo: is it true that he'll be locked up? I've read countless fanfictions that say this is fact, but it's not mentioned at all in the anime so I'm not sure.

(SPOILER! DON'T READ IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED ALL TWENTY SIX EPISODES!!!)

And also his bracelet, does he turn into that "monster" whenever it's taken off, or just when it's taken off in the rain? If you don't know, that's absolutely fine. So, that's all for now. I'll explain more about Malacoda and Lucifer next chapter, and please, if you are confused about anything, as some people have said they are, please tell me EXACTLY what it is so I can fix it.

Also, what does AU stand for...? Does it even stand for anything? I just can't figure it out...

Again, THANK YOU for reading!

-Raha- signing off


	24. The Rules Of Curses

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: The Rules Of Curses**

* * *

Yuki and Kyo were silent as they made their way down the hall. Neither of them knew what to say, and if they did they would not know where to start. Tohru was also quiet, her eyes distant, turned inwards.

"Honda-san..." said Yuki at length. "Do you... know how to break the Curse?" Tohru sighed heavily and looked at him sidelong.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked.

"A secret?" Kyo repeated. "I guess..."

"Yeah," Yuki said slowly. "Is it about the Curse?"

"It's just a hunch, I'll need more proof to see if I'm right, but I've been thinking about your Curse... and I don't think it's a curse at all."

"_What_?!" Kyo cried, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Not a curse? But then, what...?" asked Yuki, coming to a standstill as well.

"Listen, I've _seen_ curses. I've wandered through countless universes, and all the curses throughout those universes follow the same set of rules, no matter where you go. All curses are simple, and they can only effect one person each. The 'Zodiac Curse' doesn't do that, though, does it? Fourteen people share the same curse, and it's far from simple. If it were really a curse, it would only turn you into animals whenever you're hugged, and only that. Not whenever your bodies become weak also. There would be no core, and it would not single out one person for special treatment."

"You mean... me," said Kyo and Tohru nodded.

"Your original form," said Tohru, not missing the emotions it stirred up in Kyo's eyes, "Would have to be an entirely different curse. Also, curses, once you have them, are generally _triggered_ by something, not warded off by a string of prayer beads."

"Then... if it's not a curse, it can't be broken?" asked Yuki, dismay creeping into his eyes.

"It would be a bit more complicated but it could still be broken. Don't worry." Tohru reassured him. They fell silent again and continued walking down the hall towards the main doors.

Finally, Kyo asked, "Who's this Grumman guy?"

"Huh...?" she said, shaking out of her reverie. "Oh. He's sort of my... Master. Like Kazuma is to you."

"A martial arts Master?" A now very interested Kyo asked.

"Among other things, yes," replied Tohru.

"So you know martial arts?" cried Kyo incredulously, stopping in his tracks.

"Yes," Tohru answered with a touch of pride. "Artemis was better at it than I was, plus he's a spectacular shot. I could always best him at swordplay, though. But... I haven't done any of that for over a year, so I'm probably not very good anymore."

The boys stared at her with new respect bordering on awe.

"Where is he from?" Yuki asked. "The name 'Grumman' sounds foreign. So do all your other friends' names, come to think of it."

"Grumman comes from the universe I was whisked off to, Hirofuriae. He lived in London. Hirofuriae is actually a lot like our universe, and most of the nations and languages and cultures are much the same as ours, except for a few minor differences. Texas is its own Nation, for example. It's still refused to join the United States. Also Hirofuriae is far less technically advanced than we are. Machines like cars and computers are almost unheard of."

By this time they had passed through the double doors and found a small caravan parked outside. Dark-skinned men shouted to one another as they worked various tasks, and some even called to Tohru as they past, to which she greeted in return in their own language. Valery, Artemis, and a grizzled, muscular man were standing by one of the carriages, apparently waiting for them.

"Grumman!" Tohru cried joyously and ran towards the man. Grumman looked up with piercing, steely eyes. His gray hair was short, strayed in all directions, and grew halfway down his squared jaw line, framing his shrewd, cynical face. He was not sinewy like Kazuma, as Kyo had imagined he would be. His build was stocky, of average height, and strong. There was a prominent scar across the bridge of his nose, which was hooked like an eagle's.

Grumman eyed Yuki and Kyo critically, and the Cat and the Rat could almost feel themselves being taken apart and put back together by that sharp gaze. Then Grumman's eyes turned to Tohru and his expression may have softened just a hair.

Tohru seemed oblivious to his hard countenance as she threw her arms around the man's neck. Grumman returned the embrace briefly before he gently removed her arms.

"It's good to see you again, Ren," he said, with a gruff smile. Then he eyed Yuki and Kyo like a protective bulldog.

"Are these the Sohma boys you've been living with?" he asked.

"Yeah, this is Yuki-kun and this is Kyo-kun. Guys, this is my Master, Victor Grumman Savage, but everyone just calls him Grumman."

"Yo," said Kyo.

"How do you do?" said Yuki politely, inclining his head. Grumman scrutinized them silently before he gave a short nod and turned back to Tohru.

"Ren, I hear you haven't been practicing your martial arts."

"Well, I didn't even know I could do martial arts until like a week ago..."

"That's not an excuse. But it can't be helped. If you'll come with me now, I would like to see what you remember. Artemis will be your opponent. Follow me."

"Huh?! Artemis? But he's too fast! I won't even be able to get close to him!" Tohru protested as she trotted hurriedly after Grumman.

"What, are you scared?" Artemis snorted.

"No..." Tohru said. "I haven't practiced in over a year, and you have demon's strength and speed. It wouldn't be a fair fight."

"I see..." Artemis sneered, his eyes haughty. "You've gone soft."

"I have not!" Tohru protested.

"Leave Honda-san alone." Yuki snarled angrily, his voice venomous and cold.

"Yeah, back off, punk!" Kyo barked.

"Uh, Kyo-kun... Yuki-kun..."

"Why don't you make me, kitty-cat?" Artemis retorted, turning challengingly to Kyo. "I don't like your tone boy. Watch it, or you'll end up eating dirt like your bovine friend."

"Oh yeah? I'm not like Haru, and if you don't watch _your_ mouth I'll knock it right off your damn face!" Kyo yelled furiously, his fists clenched.

"Um, guys..."

"I don't understand what that silly bitch sees in you two. I don't like you at all." Artemis snarled, golden eyes glinting. Tohru dropped her gaze to the ground to hide the hurt in her eyes.

"_What_ did you just call Honda-san?"

"Take that back, you bastard!!!"

"What are you going to do about it, _pets_?" Artemis snarled softly. Yuki and Kyo lunged for the demon in response. Artemis smirked and leapt straight up into the air like a bullet. He was so fast that in the infinitesimal space between the seconds he had disappeared, mere inches away from their fists, and reappeared ten feet above them.

"What?!" Kyo yelled. "He can teleport, too?!"

"Fool, I don't even need to, you're so slow." Artemis snorted and shot down between them so hard he cracked the ground. Flipping, he sent the heel of his boot smashing into Yuki's jaw, then leapt forward and rammed his head into Kyo's.

"Yuki! Kyo!" Tohru cried.

"For such weak little parasites, you're really pissing me off." Artemis said, smiling viciously, a look of satisfied triumph in his eyes.

"I'll kill you!" Kyo shrieked, leaping to his feet, though he swayed a bit and he could hardly see where he was for all the stars dancing in front of him. Yuki was in a similar condition, and was slightly cross-eyed.

"Stop it, Artemis! That's enough! Leave them alone!" Tohru cried, throwing herself between the demon and the two dazed Sohmas. "What's gotten into you all of the sudden?" Artemis glared at Yuki and Kyo with unadulterated wrath before turning his back and snapping, "It's nothing! Let's just go." Tohru turned her back on him, her eyes on Yuki and Kyo.

"Are you guys okay?" asked Tohru softly, her eyes clouded with worry, as she helped Yuki to his feet. Kyo nodded, his crimson eyes on Artemis's back like no one's business.

"I'm fine..." said Yuki, glaring at Artemis as well, as if he were hoping he could drill holes in the back of his skull. "You better not hurt her, demon, or else..."

"Or else what, hmmm?" Artemis asked, whipping around to bring his nose within inches of Yuki's. "What were you planning on doing to me? What could vermin like you possibly do to _me_?"

Yuki was practically shaking with fury as he glared straight back at Artemis, his eyes snapping with rage and his fists balled. He tried to keep his voice calm and steady as he answered.

"Or else I'll make you wish your mother wasn't the little brothel girl she would have had to be to have given birth to a bastard like you." Yuki hissed softly. Tohru and Kyo froze. Artemis stared at Yuki with a strange, unreadable expression and for a moment Yuki knew he was about to experience extreme and excruciating pain— until Artemis threw back his head and burst out laughing. Without a word, other than the gales of laughter, he turned his back and walked away.

"What was _that_ about...?" Kyo said.

"Artemis doesn't have a mom, actually. He was a familiar," said Valery matter-of-factly.

"WHAT?!" Yuki and Kyo yelled.

"Like _Raha_?" Kyo asked in disbelief.

"Well, more or less... Then he was focused. That's when the unconscious mind is totally severed from the body. After that you get the Angel and the demon. The more technical term is Immortal."

"An Immortal?" asked Yuki.

"Super demons, basically," replied Valery. "Why they're called Immortals should be obvious. He's also is one of the very first to be created."

"_One_ of the first?" said Kyo.

"Lucifer and then Noctifer came before him. Artemis's rank is basically on the same level as theirs."

"Then... why was be banished?" asked Yuki.

"Well, when he was severed from his Companion… something went wrong."

"What?" asked Kyo.

"Ren!" called Grumman. "C'mere, and tie these bells on." Tohru gave her Master a look of perplexity.

"Why...?"

"We're playing Bell Bell," Artemis informed her casually.

"Oh!" Tohru cried and smiled. "I love Bell Bell!" Tohru scampered over and took the tiny bells Artemis offered her and set to work tying them to various parts of her body. One went on each wrist, one on each ankle, one around her neck, and two on either side of her waist. Artemis, on the other hand, only had one bell, which he tied around his neck.

"What are you doing...?" Kyo asked, puzzled. "Aren't you supposed to be fighting? What's Bell Bell?"

"It's a game, Kyo-kun," Tohru explained. "We have no other means to tell if someone's winning as we can't draw blood, so instead we try to steal each other's bells, thus the name Bell Bell."

"Why Bell Bell?" queried Yuki.

"Millie named it," said Tohru. And that was all she needed to say as way of explanation.

"Why do you have seven bells, but Artemis only has one?" asked Kyo.

"If I only had one, the game would end too quickly, and if he had seven it would never end. As I said, Artemis is way better at martial arts than I am." Tohru replied, tying the last bell into place.

"Tohruuuuu!" called a familiar voice. Tohru turned with a smile and spotted Momiji and Millie running towards them, smiling brightly.

"Momiji-kun! Millie!" she cried in greeting. "There you are! Where did you go, anyway?"

"Millie took Momiji to the orchards, then to the rookeries, then to the cellars, and then the attic!" Millie cried ecstatically.

"I feel like we've walked _miles_!" Momiji said enthusiastically. "This place is soooo big!"

"Is Ren playing Bell Bell?" Millie asked, eyeing the bells on Tohru's waist.

"Yes," Tohru replied, smiling.

"What's Bell Bell?" asked Momiji. Tohru explained it to him and afterwards he could only stare at her in awe.

"_You_ know martial arts?!" he gasped.

"Yeah," replied Tohru, blushing a little from the attention and wonderment she was receiving.

"Tohru, let's go," Artemis said.

"Right!" replied Tohru, trotting after him. He headed towards a fenced in enclosure and leapt up onto the top railing and stood there, balancing easily with his tail. He turned to look over his shoulder at them, a smirk tugging the corner of his mouth.

"One more rule: you can't touch the ground."

"What...?" Tohru said in dismay. "But I'll never stay up..."

"Never say never," Artemis replied with false kindness. "Now get up here." Tohru, with a look of trepidation, vaulted, almost catlike, onto the railing and stood there, balancing on the five-inch wide space with just a bit less grace than her demon opponent.

"Ready?" Artemis asked, settling into attack position.

"I guess," she replied, doing like wise.

"Right. En Guard!" Artemis yelled and shot forward towards Tohru with not a sound but the tiny jingle of his bell.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: teksaB stiurF nwo ton od I. That's I do not own Fruits Basket backwards, just so you know.**

Yeah. This chapter had a lot of talking. But don't worry, there will be much action in the next one. Anyway, I was asking about Kyo's original form because at the end of episode twenty-six Tohru, if you'll excuse the expression, "calms the savage beast" and he turns back into a boy. So was it broken, or what? And what does he do whenever he transforms back into a human from cat form, because the beads fall off then, too.

Also, my computer is totally screwing up. It won't let me have my little designs and such that separate things, so I've had to totally reorganize. Oh, what a world, what a world!

On a different note, I'm sorry this one was so late, I've been busy with school. Please don't kill me!!! ۵

I know I had other things I wanted to say, but I forgot them.

Sayonara!

-Raha-


	25. Bell Bell!

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Bell Bell!**

* * *

Kyo and Yuki instinctively started forward as Artemis bore down on Tohru, gasping in alarm, quite sure she was about to be knocked into the dirt face first, as Artemis was fond of doing to them. Tohru, on the other hand, had no such plans. She jumped straight up into the air, and flipped over Artemis like a professional acrobat, her hands touched down on the railing, and her left foot shot back like a piston.

Artemis twisted away and jumped back. A smirk touched his mouth. He held out his hand palm down and dangled a small, silver bell that tinkled merrily at Tohru on the end of its string.

"Bell Bell." Artemis said. Tohru looked down at her bell-devoid foot and grimaced.

"But... I didn't even see him take it!" cried Momiji in astounded awe.

"Oh yes, Ren, I forgot to tell you..." said Grumman. "If you lose all your bells, or if you touch the ground once, you're not getting any lunch."

"What?!" Tohru demanded in outrage. "That's not fair! I'm not _that_ good!"

"All you have to do is steal one little bell. It can't be that hard," said Grumman mercilessly.

"Right," muttered Tohru. "All I have to do is win."

"Five shakus says you won't do it," Artemis said nonchalantly.

"Three machas says I will," replied Tohru.

"Come get me then."

Tohru sprung forward and answered with a flurry of swift, abrupt punches, which Artemis dodged effortlessly and retaliated with a scissor kick that breezed by Tohru's ear as she dodged.

"Right straight!" Tohru yelled, and snapped out her fist, almost cracking Artemis's jaw. A proud grin tugged at the corners of Kyo's lips; he 'd taught her that. Artemis stepped backwards a pace and swept his leg out, breezing right beneath Tohru's toes as she jumped.

As Kyo watched her, though, she began to remind him strongly of a cat. She had a certain grace to her that was exclusive only to felines. He was also noticing she was using some of the same moves Yuki used on him, and what he had used on Haru, and identified several martial arts techniques other than Karate, including Kung-fu and Jujitsu, and about a third of it she was making up.

A grin was curled about Tohru's mouth and she played Bell Bell, a game, a battle, a choreographed dance. Ducking and weaving, spinning and jumping, kicking and punching, and no sound except for the scuff of feet, and the chime, chime, jingle of the bells.

"What's going on?" asked a soft voice to Kyo's immediate right. Kyo jumped about a foot in the air, and whirled to find Shigure, Hatori, Ayame, Ritsu, Hiro, Kisa, Isuzu, Kagura, and Hatsuharu staring back at him.

"WHEN DID YOU ALL GET HERE?!" Kyo shouted. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

_Shouldn't you have sensed their presence...?_ Yuki thought with a small shake of his head.

"It's really not that hard to do, actually..." Shigure muttered.

"What was that?" Kyo snarled.

"Nothing, nothing!" Shigure replied cheerfully, waving his hand. "What's happening?"

"Tohru-kun's fighting Artemis for her lunch!" Momiji replied.

"Oh, I didn't know she knew martial arts," Kagura said. "Wow, look at her go, she's really good! Who's winning?"

"Artemis..." Yuki and Kyo replied grudgingly.

"Since when did Tohru-kun know how to fight?" Hatsuharu asked.

"What, didn't she tell you?" asked Valery, and the Sohmas turned their attention on her. "Ren was one of the most elite demon hunters in Hirofuriae, before she joined up with Artemis. Well, actually she was more like a bounty hunter, but all the bounties were on demons, so..."

"She was a _bounty hunter_?!" Kyo cried.

"That's so awesome!" Kagura and Momiji cried in starry-eyed admiration.

"Well, that's a bit... unanticipated." Hatori said.

"But... how did she go from being a demon hunter, to working with Artemis?" Shigure asked, his eyes on the dueling pair on the fence.

"To tell you that, I'd have to start from the beginning, when Ren was released..." replied Valery, her eyes also following the movements of Tohru and Artemis.

Faster and faster they were going, twirling, skipping, leaping, their hands and feet blurs of movement. She was good, an equal to Kyo, and in many aspects, an equal to Yuki as well. She had Kyo's stamina and determined will to win, but also Yuki's controlled strength and deft quickness.

Unfortunately, she was no match for Artemis.

"Bell Bell." He said calmly, landing in a crouch with his back to Tohru, and a tiny bell bounced in the dust. Tohru paused, her back to Artemis, and looked down at her silent wrist. She clenched her fist and turned to give him a grin that said, "I'm so going to get you."

Half a minute later, however, Artemis had the third and fourth bells in his hands. Tohru was panting hard and shaking perspiration out of her eyes, but Artemis seemed unfazed.

"... You have to understand in order for someone to be released they have to _want_ it. That's _essential_." Valery was saying. "If they fight, then things go wrong. Now, for some reason, we don't know why, but Ren _didn't_ want to be released. She resisted, and somehow she summoned Artemis."

"But how?" Yuki asked.

"Because Artemis had been dead for over three hundred years."

"_WHAT_?!?!"

"Let me explain," Valery chuckled. "Demon souls aren't like ours. When they're focused, completely severed from their Companions, their consciences are pretty much split in half, so in a sense, their souls cannot move on. They don't really die, they're just... obliterated... so you can summon one back from death if their Angel is still alive. But, when you summon a demon such as Artemis..."

"Yaaaa!" Tohru's cry interrupted Valery and they all looked to see her staggering backwards, just barely managing to regain her balance.

"That was a cheap shot Artemis!" she yelled angrily.

"Not all's fair and honorable on the battle field. You have to take cheap shots in order to survive."

"Like this!"

"Hey! You know, there's a difference between cheap shots and fighting dirty."

"Go Ren, you can do it!!!" Millie yelled, punching a fist in the air.

"Come on, Tohru-kun, you can beat him!" Momiji yelled encouragingly. Hearted, Tohru flung herself forward in a swift uppercut, feinted to the left, spun and kicked. Artemis grabbed her ankle and, to the Sohmas' distress, threw her about ten feet in the air.

Tohru felt almost like she was floating. All she could see was the sky, and then the horizon tilted into her vision and she began to fall. Automatically, without any thought to it at all, she twisted. Kyo's mouth dropped open as he watched her flip over, turning her right shoulder down and following quickly with the rest of her body, to land neatly on her feet on the fence.

_Definitely like a cat..._ he thought.

"Why don't you just give up?" Artemis asked, his claws barely grazing her cheek.

"Because my lunch is riding on this fight," Tohru replied, not even flinching, and returned with a circle kick.

"You can't win. You know that, right? You're never going to take my bell."

"Try me!" Tohru cried.

"She may as well just give up," said a voice quietly to Kyo's left. He turned and found Grumman standing solemnly next to him.

"He's right," Yuki said. "Tohru's _very_ good, but Artemis is better. It's pretty obvious where this is going to end up."

Kyo set his jaw and didn't answer. He knew the Rat was right, but he sure as hell wasn't going to admit it. _And... there's still a chance that Tohru could win._

"What happened when Tohru summoned Artemis?" he asked Valery.

"Understand that demons and Immortals don't have souls. The soul stays with the Angel. But Artemis is unique, because he is the only demon in existence that has ever had a soul. When Ren summoned him, his soul bound itself to her. Those two have a life bond."

"What's that mean...?" asked Momiji.

"It means that if one of them dies, the other dies with them."

The breath caught in Kyo's throat and he looked automatically at Tohru, as did Yuki and the other Sohmas. Suddenly, the full impact of what she was doing hit them. Bell Bell was suddenly not a fun, pointless little game where the stakes were a few coins and lunch. They were not just showing off their skills, or trying to become stronger just because they could. They were training to fight. They were training to kill, and to _not be killed_. Bell Bell was just a cute name they gave it to cover up its real purpose

Who were they training to fight? The Angels? The Cages? Who else would they have to face?

_Not all's fair and honorable on the battlefield. You have to take cheap shots in order to_ survive

If she died...

"Come on, Tohru!" Kyo yelled. "You can beat him!"

"All you have to do is take that bell!" Yuki cried.

Tohru looked up in surprise at the sound of their voices. That glimpsing moment of distraction was all Artemis needed. In a rush of movement, he jumped and brought his fist smashing down into the top rail of the wooden fence. The rail splintered, cracked, and broke beneath their feet.

Tohru fell backwards, her mouth opening in surprise, her eyes wide. She hit the ground with a heavy thud before she had even realized what had happened. She rolled and came to a rest at a pair of familiar feet, the hem of a dark kimono rustling as the person took a small step towards her. Artemis, perched on an unbroken section of the fence, was smirking down at her triumphantly. It was over... and he had won.

"Didn't I tell you?" he scoffed, jumping down. Tohru didn't answer. She dropped her eyes to her fist, clenched in her lap, as the demon began to lecture her.

"You're guard is terrible, you need to work on that. You have no style, either, or any sort of strategic plan, you just attack without thought, and hope you hit something," he said, his tone arrogant. Tohru pushed herself up and stood with her back to the demon and her head down, her arms limp at her sides, her fists clenched. Her eyes were shadowed, and her face expressionless.

"Another thing, you're distracted too easily. You have to concentrate everything on what you're doing, or you won't win."

"I know," Tohru said quietly.

"Your reactions are too slow, and you hesitate slightly before you attack. You never used to do that."

"Right," Tohru said.

"And you used to punch a lot harder than you were just now."

"Hey, why don't you lay off?" Kyo snapped.

"She hasn't fought at all for over year. Of course she won't be as good as she once was." Yuki said icily, glaring at the demon. Tohru raised her head and gave Kyo and Yuki a cheerful smile.

"It's okay," she said.

"No, it's not!" Kyo yelled. Tohru tilted her head and gave him a soft, more sincere smile, and winked. Then she turned her head to look at Artemis, her grin changing and her eyes narrowing.

"Artemis, what you say is all true, but I believe you're missing one important fact."

"Oh, and what's that?" Artemis asked. Tohru held her hand out to her side and let drop a small, golden bell that dangled and tinkled softly on the end of its string, glinting in the sunlight.

"Bell Bell." Tohru said simply, cocked her head, and smiled.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket is not owned by me**

YAY! Chapter Twenty-Five! That was rather earlier than I expected, but I just had this burst of inspiration, and here is the result! Tell me what you think of it, as always. Arigatoo.

Have I mentioned I'm now taking Japanese? I already knew a few choice words, from fanfiction and various mangas, plus by watching tons of anime, but now I know more. Also, I have a pen-pal in Japan. Japan! How cool is that?

But I digress. I've read Arigatoo spelled many ways, such as Arigatou, but in Jap. Class it's spelled Arigatoo, like the pronunciation. But that doesn't really matter... I'm just rambling. I get much enjoyment from rambling, though it's definitely not as fun as ranting.

Sayoonara!

-Raha-


	26. The Demon's Past

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: The Demon's Past**

Artemis stared open-mouthed at his bell. The Sohmas stared in wide-eyed surprise at Tohru, the wheels turning in their minds as they began to comprehend what had just happened. The shocked silence was finally broken when Valery started raucously laughing her head off, her finger pointed at Artemis.

"When did you...?" he said, completely taken aback, after she had regained control of herself.

"When you broke the fence. I grabbed it just before I fell," Tohru informed him cheerfully.

"It's not possible..."

"Not _probable_, you mean," she corrected and jingled the bell, her smile widening. He stared at it, as if he did not believe what he was seeing. She giggled.

"Really, Artemis, I would have expected more of a challenge from you," she teased.

"...What?" he asked, leveling his gaze at her.

"I'm surprised you haven't seen it yet. Shall I illuminate you?" she asked.

"Please do," he said shortly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, first off, I had to lure you into a state of false-comfort. That would be easy, I didn't even have to act. I knew my rusty martial arts skills would be no match for yours, so naturally I knew you would drop your guard. I did not try to take your bell, but instead I attacked you with out any apparent reason or motive, supposedly to disable you long enough to take the bell. But I had to drag it out long enough to make you impatient to end it. Read me so far?"

"Yes. You're saying I'm predictable."

"Exactly." Tohru answered. Valery, Haru, and Kyo snickered, and Yuki smirked slightly. Artemis snorted and Tohru continued with her narrative.

"Then, all I had to do was wait for the perfect time to make my move. When Yuki and Kyo yelled encouragement, that was just enough incentive for me to be distracted, which was the ideal time for you to do the very thing I knew you would. You smashed the fence, and under the cover of your eagerness to win, I took your victory. And here it is."

With that, Tohru flicked a finger against the bell and the soft chime reverberated through the air and disappeared on invisible wings, its small voice lingering on the wind as it was swept away.

"That's check and mate," she said, grinning.

"You... clever... little..." Artemis growled, closing his eyes and raising a fist. Whatever else he had in mind to say, though, was cut off by the roar of voices that erupted from the caravan. The Sohmas whirled to see about fifty people, most of them boys between the ages of eight and eighteen, standing next to or sitting on the wagons, waving and cheering. All of them were dark skinned, well-kempt in clean clothes, and smiling, flashing pearly white teeth. Several boys ran over and surrounded Tohru, all talking very fast at once in Spanish, laughing and clapping her on the back.

"_¡Eso era impresionante, Ren de Dama!"_

"_¡Usted pateó totalmente Señor a Artemis' extremo des!"_

"_¡Supe que usted ganaría, yo lo supe!"_

"_¡No, usted hizo no! ¡Usted apostaba en el Señor Artemis!"_

"_¡Mentiroso! ¡No era!"_

"_¡Estaba a!"_

_"¡Usted asió su campana tan rápido, Ren de Dama, Yo ni sabe que usted lo tuvo hasta que usted lo mostrara! ¿Cómo hizo usted eso?"_

_"¡Yo lo pensé fue hecho para, seguramente! ¡Pero entonces—BAM! —usted lo obtuvo!"_

"_Gracias, los tipos,"_ Tohru replied, her cheeks flushing red, one hand scratching the back of her head as she grinned around at them awkwardly. _"Pero, realmente, no era que gran..."_

"_¡Amelio! ¡Pacha! ¡Josè! ¡Todo usted, vuelve para trabajar! ¡Ahora!"_ Grumman barked. The boys scowled at him and loudly proclaimed their displeasure, but they gave Tohru a few more words of congratulations and went back to the caravan, grumbling half-heartedly. Tohru covered her grin and turned to Grumman.

"So... how'd I do?"

"Fair."

"Just fair?" Tohru cried in exasperation. "I beat him, didn't I?"

"You only just beat Artemis, and through the use of trickery and deception. Though these skills are useful, and even essential to survival, you cannot always rely on them. Artemis was correct in his evaluation; you are out of practice. Tomorrow, we will start your real training." Grumman said, his tone indicating that he would not tolerate any complaints or excuses. Tohru bowed in submission.

"Yes, sir," she said quietly. Then, looking up, she asked, "For how long?"

"...I don't know. Until the first Angel shows up, and that..."

"Won't be very long at all, I know," Tohru said.

"No, we don't have very much time. You'll probably end up training on the fly, but that isn't something you can't handle, right? After all, you've done stuff like that before."

"Of course... so there's nothing to worry about!" Tohru said, smiling widely as she straightened up. Then she turned that bright smile on the Sohmas.

"So, who's up for lunch?" she asked.

As they made their way back towards the castle, Tohru walking up front with Yuki and the others, Shigure turned towards Valery, who had for some reason opted to walk near him, Hatori, and Ayame.

"Say, Valery-san..." he said. Valery turned to look at him, smiling politely.

"Yeah? You're... Shigure right? You can just call me Val, by the way, I could never get used to all those Japanese formalities."

"How did you know my name?" Shigure asked in surprise.

"Your robe. You're the only one that wears traditional Japanese clothes, so you kind of stand out."

"I _do_ stand out, don't I?" Shigure said with a debonair smile. "Has Tohru-kun been talking about me?"

"Uh-huh. She speaks very highly of you, actually."

"Does she! Oh, I'm so flattered!"

"Stop acting like a fool," Hatori said. "Knowing Tohru-kun, she speaks highly of everyone."

"But of course she would say especially wonderful things about me." Shigure replied. Hatori looked beseechingly up at the sky and didn't answer.

"Anyway," Shigure said, turning back to Valery. "You said a demon could be summoned if their Angel was still alive, so does that mean _Artemis's_ Angel is still around somewhere?"

"Asrielle..."

"Pardon?"

"That was her name. His Angel."

"Was...?"

"Yeah. But no one calls her that anymore now. They call her the Angel of Death."

"_Angel of Death!_"

"Because she doesn't have a soul. And she's killed thousands and thousands of demons, and people for that matter... But, I guess Artemis was no better. He was unstoppable, a ruthless killer, and he cut down everyone that got in his way be it Angel, demon, man, or god. Anyway, back in those days, they were bitter enemies. Every time their paths crossed, they fought. But in the end, Asrielle killed him. That was in the Great Dogma War, fought between the Angels and demons for possession of Hirofuriae, three hundred years ago."

"Who won?" asked Hatori.

"No one, really, they're still fighting. About a year ago, Ren found a way to turn the Angels back into people, except we've pretty much just found out it only lasts a little while, about a year or so. That... or someone has found a way to change them back. So now the Angels are all awakening."

"So, now Tohru has to put them back to sleep again."

"Right, but first we have to _find_ them."

After a few silent moments, Valery gave a small chuckle, watching Tohru and Artemis begin to bicker over why he should pay her the money he'd betted during their scrap.

"You know... He and Asrielle are legends now. He used to be so... cruel. But he changed, once he met Ren."

"I think she has that affect on a lot of people," said Shigure.

"Val, you said Artemis was life-bound to Tohru-kun... so does that mean he's like a familiar?" asked Ayame.

"No, Artemis is his own person. Ren doesn't have any control over him, like she does with Raha. But... I guess, in a way, she's his Angel now..."

"Huh...?"

"Oh, nothing! Just thinking out loud," Valery replied with a smile. "Now I have to get back to work. Nice talking to you!" And with that, Valery scampered away.

"Nice talking to you to..." Shigure said.

"You Sohmas..." Grumman said slowly, catching the Zodiac members' attention. "I have been meaning to ask... who among you here knows how to fight?"

Surprised stares met his question for several moments before Yuki replied softly, "I am a black belt in martial arts."

"So am I!" Kagura sang brightly.

"I can fight." Haru muttered.

"Me, too!" said Kyo with fervor.

"...Why do you ask?" Tohru queried, eyeing Grumman sidelong. Her carefree expression and smile didn't show it, but there was a cold undertone beneath her voice that made the Sohmas falter slightly.

"You surprise me, Ren," said Grumman smoothly, unfazed. "It's not like you to be suspicious."

"Well...?"

"If they can fight, and if I think they're good enough, then they'll be coming with you to confront the Angels." Grumman said, carefully punctuating every syllable, with deathly seriousness. The Sohmas and Tohru stopped in their tracks.

"Really! We get to go with Tohru? Great!" Kagura said excitedly, finally breaking the stunned silence.

"Well, I was gonna go with her anyway, so this doesn't make much of a difference," said Kyo nonchalantly.

"Okay, I'll come," said Haru.

"But... does that mean _I_ can't go?" Momiji cried in dismay. "Because I can't fight? _Das ist nicht gerecht!_"

"NO. That's _out_ of the question." The Sohmas looked up in surprise at Artemis, who glared right back, his arms folded across his chest.

"Oh, yeah! Well, who died and made you emperor?" Kyo demanded.

"Yeah, you can't tell us what to do!" Kagura added indignantly.

Artemis ignored her, his eyes locking in on Kyo.

"I'll tell you why not. You are slow, in more ways than one, soft, city-bred, whiny, snot-nosed brats with the endurance and constitutions of baby mice. And what you vermin will do is slow us down, eat our food, and complain. None of you knows the first thing about combat, and if the boys are any indication I'd guess the lady isn't much better. All you're good for is to run home, crying for your mothers with your tail between your legs."

With every word, Artemis drove a butcher knife deeper and deeper into the four Sohmas' skulls. The bit about "crying home to his mother" particularly stung Kyo, and being called a "baby mouse" didn't help much either. Yuki's pride wasn't in much better shape, and lay shattered on the ground at his feet. Being referred to as "vermin" was especially upsetting for the Rat. The barb about not being as good as the boys had Kagura ready to snap and of course being called various connotations of "slow" was quickly bringing out Black Haru.

Yuki was the first one to recover from the verbal assault.

"I was not aware that this was your decision to make, _Artemis_. By the way, isn't that a _girl's_ name?"

"I suppose you're referring to Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Hunt, correct? Yes, it _is_ a female name, but every now and then a male will prove himself worthy, in mind and in body, of the Goddess's name. Of course... for you, being honored with such a name wouldn't be very difficult. You wouldn't even have to try, all you'd have to do was _dress_ up a bit and your looks would fool people quite easily."

_Did he just say what I think he said?_ Kyo thought as he quietly took a few steps back from Yuki. The expression on the Rat's face was nothing short of petrifying. He looked like he wanted to skin Artemis alive, dip him in mercury, flay him into little bloody strips, barbeque him and feed him to the fishes. Of course, he had good reason to. Artemis had just thrown his jibe back in his face by calling him a girl. The Cat had to hand it to him; Artemis was pretty smart. Kyo would have laughed if he hadn't been so fearful for his welfare just then.

_**"What... did... you... just... say?"**_

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru cried, jumping in front of Yuki. "Just ignore him, he's not worth it." Yuki looked a bit surprised to see Tohru standing in front of him, then glared furiously at Artemis.

"Yeah, you aren't worth it. And you really have no right to tell us what we can and cannot do. Also... didn't you just get _beat_ by a girl?"

Everyone but Artemis sniggered into his or her hands, and Yuki smirked. Artemis's expression darkened considerably.

"He's right, Artemis. You owe me money, by the way." Tohru said.

"Anyway," said Yuki. "I'm going, whether you like it or not. If that is alright with Honda-san, of course." He added, smiling at Tohru. She didn't smile back. To Yuki's chagrin, she sighed, and gave him a regretful look.

"I would love to have your company, believe me, but I'd rather you not come," she said quietly. Again.

"What? Why!" cried Kyo.

"I... see." Yuki said softly. "So... you agree with Artemis."

"Yes, and no. I agree that you shouldn't come, but not for the same reasons." At that, she shot Artemis a loaded look, reproach in both barrels. "I'm not telling you not to come, but where we're going will be very dangerous. I want you to know what you're getting into, then you can decide for yourselves."

"No, I believe you misunderstand me," Grumman interjected. "They don't have a choice in the matter. They're going, and they're going to fight, whether you or Artemis want them to or not."

_To be continued..._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, but I own something just as good: Artemis, Malacoda, Lucifer, Ren (Not Tohru), Raha, Grumman, Val Halla, and the bad guys that STILL have not shown up.**

**_Translations:_**

**Spanish**

_Amelio, Pacha, and Jos_

Eso era impresionante, Ren de Dama—That was awesome, Lady Ren!

Usted pateó totalmente Señor a Artemis' extremo des—You totally kicked Lord Artemis's butt!

Supe que usted ganaría, yo lo supe—I knew you would win, I knew it!

No, usted hizo no! ¡Usted apostaba en el Señor Artemis—No, you didn't! You were betting on Lord Artemis!

Mentiroso! ¡No era—Liar! Was not!

Estaba a—Was to!

Usted asió su campana tan rápido, Ren de Dama, Yo ni sabe que usted lo tuvo hasta que usted lo mostrara! ¿Cómo hizo usted eso—You grabbed his bell so fast, Lady Ren, I didn't even know you had it until you showed it! How did you do that?

Yo lo pensé fue hecho para, seguramente! ¡Pero entonces—BAM! —usted lo obtuvo—I thought you were done for, for sure! But then—BAM!—you got him!

_Tohru_

Gracias, los tipos, Pero, realmente, no era que gran—Thanks, guys, but, really, it wasn't that great...

_Grumman_

Todo usted, vuelve para trabajar! ¡Ahora—All of you, get back to work! Now!

**German**

_Momiji_

Das ist nicht gerecht—That's not fair

Well, this one was really talky, wasn't it? The next one will be better, and I think the story will pick up the pace. In the next few chapters you might get to see the Angels. Yay! Finally, right? I know you've been dying. That's like twenty-six chapters, and the bad guys haven't even shown up! Sorry it's taking them so long. Y'see, their car broke down in a traffic jam so that's why they're so late... so, uh... yeah.

Thank you to every one that has answered all my questions! I got like twenty reviews on just that! It was awesome!

Also, I didn't explain in the last chapter but machas are small golden bars about an inch long, and shakus are copper coins. They're Hirofuriaen money.

And yes, Artemis is a bit more vicious in this chapter and the last, but trust me, there's a reason that will be explained next chapter. His explanation for his name actually came from Artemis Fowl, which is originally where I got the name in the first place, so here I am giving due credit.

And about the original book, I've been encountering technical difficulties with the computer it's located on (DAMN YOU COMPUTERS!) but that's theoretically all fixed now, so I may be posting it soon. First, I have to work out a few minor story bugs, and then I'm going to try and turn it into a manga. I think it might work well as a manga, but that won't be for a while yet.

So, until I continue...

-Raha-


	27. Jealousy And Death

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Jealousy And Death**

* * *

"But... Grumman!" Tohru cried. "You can't... you can't just draft people!"

"I believe I am the Commander in Chief of LAF, and it is my duty to find and train soldiers to fight the Angels. You and Artemis disobeyed orders by not eliminating every last Sohma..."

"That wasn't _my_ fault!" Artemis objected angrily.

"...And further endangered our mission, and the lives of the people I believe you once cared about, by bringing that family here," Grumman went on as if he had not been interrupted. "But now that they are here, I am going to utilize everyone that may be of use to me. That means your four friends, Hatsuharu, Kagura, Yuki, Kyo, and the doctor, Hatori Sohma."

At this statement a look of surprise flashed briefly across Hatori's normally apathetic face. The other Sohmas, especially Shigure and Ayame, started at this news, and glanced from Hatori to Grumman quizzically.

"Hatori-san..." Tohru said, not believing what she was hearing. "You want _Hatori_-_san_ to come."

"In the doubtful case that any of you are injured in the line of duty, you will need a field doctor, and one you are familiar with is beneficial."

"But...! But...!" Tohru protested. "Wh-what about... what about Akito-san? If he gets sick again, Hatori-san'll need to be here."

"Then Akito will accompany you."

Tohru, and every Sohma present, was utterly speechless for several minutes, staring at Grumman in absolute horror.

"Seriously...?" Artemis groaned, breaking the tense silence. "That nut has to come, too?"

At this statement, the tense atmosphere dissolved as the Sohmas and Tohru fell over either from shock, or fits of suppressed mirth as in Shigure's case.

"He isn't a _nut, _Artemis," Tohru insisted, struggling to her feet.

"Yeah, he is..." Kyo muttered.

"Okay, he has _issues_, but he's not crazy. Considering what's he's had to go through, I think his sanity is a lot better than it _could_ be." Tohru persisted, getting doubtful looks from the Sohmas, but they weren't going to argue with her. She had a point.

"Isn't he the one that's supposed to kick it one of these days?" Artemis asked indifferently.

Tohru, in a completely unexpected display of brutal violence, for someone of her nature that is, stepped on his foot.

"Ow! What was _that_ for, you little bitch?!" Artemis yowled, grabbing his toes and hopping with rage, in a most undignified manner, on one leg.

"Stop calling her that!!!" Yuki and Kyo snarled furiously.

"For your absolute lack of compassion and sensitivity," Tohru answered the demon coolly. "Come on," she said, turning to Yuki, Kyo, and the others with a half-reassuring smile. "Let's go talk about all this over lunch. I'm sure you're hungry by now. I'm _starving._"

"Hey! I'm not done with you, wench!" Artemis snarled. "Don't you blow me off, dammit!"

Tohru stretched her arms up over her head, and then put her hands behind her head, turning to smile crookedly at Artemis.

"Blow you off? Why on earth would I want to do that?" she asked innocently. The smile widened. "Everything you say is just _so_ important, I don't think I could go on _living _without your words of _absolute_ wisdom. And it's not like you haven't said it all before. No, nothing like _that_."

"Don't patronize me!"

"But you and I both know I can't help but support everything you do."

"Stop jerking me around! And don't you dare start on those damn word games!"

Kyo watched, torn between amusement and shock, as sweet, naive Tohru, though not quite so naive as of late, bantered back and forth with the demon. Well, actually, she was the one doing the bantering. Artemis was looking like he'd like another go on the fence, without the bells this time.

But what was really surprising to Kyo was not her new behavior, but the fact that he found he was more at ease with her like this. She was no longer the angelic flower he had shared a home with for the past few years. Now, to him, she seemed more human than she had ever been. She was just so... free.

She was so comfortable with herself, and with others. And for some reason that made him feel comfortable with her. In the past she had made him feel safe, but there was always that lingering awkwardness, that thin, indefinable glass wall between them. Somewhere along the way, that wall had disappeared.

He had a suspicion, though, that Artemis had something to do with it. Kyo glanced at the demon, his eyes lingering on Artemis's scowling face. For one reason or another, Kyo was not sure he liked that.

Artemis looked up to catch Kyo staring. The demon's ears flattened against his head and he glared fury at the Cat, eyes glittering with unadulterated hatred. Kyo faltered and almost retreated back a few steps, but caught himself and held his ground, refusing to look away. Artemis sneered.

"Tohru, I want a few words with Lucifer and Malacoda, so I'll meet up with you later," he said, nodding to Tohru, then whirled on his heel and stalked away, his coat swirling about him darkly.

"He seems to be in a mood, doesn't he?" Shigure remarked blithely.

"I wouldn't worry too much about him," said Tohru, "he's always like that when meeting new people."

"But he seems to really hate Haru, Kyo, and I," Yuki said.

"Yeah, well, he especially doesn't like boys."

"Ahhh," Shigure said, "the truth emerges. May I presume that he particularly doesn't like those boys close to Tohru-kun's age?"

"Bingo." Tohru replied laughingly.

"So he's... jealous?" Kyo asked incredulously.

"Over-protective, is more like it. I guess those are his wolf instincts kicking in. Anyway, what do you want for lunch?"

"OH!" cried Momiji suddenly, looking around frantically.

"Momiji...?" Tohru said uncertainly. "What...?"

"Millie's disappeared!" Momiji exclaimed. "She was right here a minute ago!"

"The little rabbit girl? I saw her wander off that way," Kagura said, pointing in the direction she'd seen Millie go.

"Oh, okay! Thanks! Tohru, I'll catch up with you later!" Momiji called over his shoulder as he hurried to follow after Millie.

Millie scissor-walked down the hall towards Akito's room, singing at the top of her voice, "...There's travel in your future when your tongue freezes to the back of a speeding bus, fill that pathetic void in your life by playing Whack-A-Mole seventeen hours a day..." Then with a leap and a twirl she stopped at the Head Sohma's door and flung it open with a loud bang.

"Do not fear, Millie is here!"

Akito was staring at her from the window. His surprise was quickly replaced by a frown, though, and he glared at the intruder before turning away to stare at his piece of sky once more.

"Get out."

Millie ignored the cold order and walked into the room, smiling at Akito as she climbed up onto the windowsill.

"Why doesn't Akito ever come out of his room, Millie wonders?" said Millie inquiringly to a passing cloud.

"I thought I told you to get out." Akito repeated in a soft hiss.

"This is Millie's room." Millie replied nonchalantly.

"...Your room?"

"Uh-huh! Usually Millie sleeps here."

"Ah. Well, it's my room now, and I want to be left alone." The hiss was now a restrained snarl that would have sent any Sohma scurrying from the room, but Millie was unperturbed.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"That is none of your concern," Akito answered coolly. "Now _leave_, before I get angry."

To his surprise, and chagrin, Millie laughed, her voice trilling like bells.

"You are already angry!" she pointed out, swinging her legs back and forth, then leaned back out of the open, third-story window so she could see his face better. She stared at him intently for a few moments. Akito stared straight ahead, refusing to be disturbed by her strange behavior.

"Why do you smell like death?"

Akito jumped up and stared at Millie in surprise, and horror. "What?" he whispered.

"Why does Akito smell like death?" Millie repeated, looking to Akito with curiosity.

"I..." Akito faltered, unable to think of anything to say.

"He smells of sadness and fear and anger and death." Millie continued, inhaling slowly.

Akito stared at Millie in shock, and then his eyes narrowed.

"What do you care?" he snarled quietly.

"Akito reminds Millie of her Companion..." Millie replied, just as quietly, and smiled a little sadly at Akito. "Millie is worried about you."

"Your Companion...? Then, you're a..."

"Yup! Millie is a familiar," Millie replied, smiling. She paused, her cheer falling away. "Akito... Why are you dying?"

A bitter sneer spread unbidden across Akito's face.

"I bear the full weight of the Zodiac Curse. I must die in order for _them_ to live," he hissed softly. "_It's what was decided._" He added through clenched teeth, and his smile widened at the echo of the past. He had uttered those words before, he remembered, when Tohru had confronted him about his curse just a few months earlier. He had not known what to make of her then, he still didn't, and he was beginning to think the same of the bunny-girl, as well.

"Are you afraid to die?" Millie asked.

The question was not what he had been expecting, and he reeled back a step in shock before shaking it off.

"What does it matter?" he snarled. "It's going to happen, whether I like it or not!"

"But are you?"

"No!" He shouted.

"Akito's a liar. If he wasn't, he would be dead now."

"If you already knew the answer, why did you bother asking?" He said scornfully. "Now get out!"

Millie closed her eyes.

"You don't need to be scared of death, Akito."

**"WHAT THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?"** He shrieked. **"NOTHING, THAT'S WHAT! _NOT A DAMN THING!!!_"**

Then, Akito seized Millie's shoulders, his eyes burning furiously, features demented by a sick smile.

"Let's see how well you can take your own advice, shall we?" he said in a fast, vicious hiss, his voice suddenly dropping dangerously low. Millie twisted around to look down at the ground, and to Akito's utter surprise, did not look in the least bit scared. On the contrary, she turned back and gave Akito a grin.

"Silly Akito, Millie is already dead!" she told him cheerfully.

_She's already dead, she says, smiling..._ Akito thought. "But you're... here."

"Yeah," Millie replied softly. "Millie's Companion died a long, long time ago. So if Akito dropped Millie," she looked down at the ground again with a crooked little grin, "She wouldn't die. She can't, not a second time."

_She's smiling... But... her eyes... they're full of..._

... _sorrow..._

Something broke in Akito. Something so deep, so completely buried, that he thought he had lost it. Now, he hardly even knew what it was anymore.

Slowly, Akito pulled Millie back into the room and set her gently on her feet. He backed away from her, and bowed his head, eyes shining behind his bangs. One hand reached up to touch his face, while the other wrapped around him.

"...Please... I think you should go now." He said quietly.

"Okay," Millie replied, stepped up swiftly, wrapped her arms around Akito and then skipped away before Akito even had time to react. At the door she turned, smiling, and said, "That was just because Millie likes you, Akito!" And with a wave, she was gone.

Akito stayed where he was, staring for a long time at the empty door.

_What is... this feeling?_

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: Disclaiming Fruits Basket and _That's Your Horoscope for the Day _now.**

I'M SOOOO SORRRYYY!!!!! THIS WAS SO LATE!!! PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEEE! THIS WAS ENTIRELY DUE TO A COMBINATION OF WRITER'S BLOCK... and laziness... BUT MOSTLY WRITER'S BLOCK!

I'll try to write more, faster, but even I found this boring to write. I'll try to get to the good stuff as soon as possible, though, I promise.

Also about the Spanish... Yes, it would probably _be_ a bit muddy, seeing as it's from a free translation site, but hey, whatever works...

And to FruitsBasketcase, Yes, I'll definitely try to have a few scenes with Kisa and Hiro. I'm sorry, but it's a lot harder than I first expected to have everyone in this fic, including my own characters. It's hard to keep the story moving along, and still have _all_ the characters have an active role in it. But you're right, they do need more of a part.

And to everyone that has reviewed, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! YOU'RE ALL SO WONDERFUL AND AWESOME AND FANTABULOUS!!! Drinks all around! It's on me!

Cheers,

-Raha-


	28. The Concept Of Nova

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Concept Of Nova**

* * *

"Millie!" Momiji cried joyously, running up to greet his friend. "I was looking for you!"

"Mitchi! You have found Millie!" Millie exclaimed happily, waving enthusiastically. "Here is your prize!"

"Prize?!" Momiji gasped excitedly. Millie bobbed her head vigorously, then reached over and kissed him. When she pulled back, Momiji stared back at her in wide-eyed surprise, and reached up to brush his mouth with his fingers, blushing profoundly and smiling like a fool.

"What...?" he managed to say. Millie cocked her head and gave him one of her brightly adorable smiles.

"For the Knight in Shining Armor for rescuing the Damsel in Distress!" she said. Momiji stared in bewilderment at Millie for a while, and then they both began to laugh.

"Let's go," Momiji said, calming down some, which was saying something for someone of his character. "I'll bet Tohru's wondering where we are."

He turned to go, but paused when he felt a small hand take hold of his and tug him to a stop. He glanced back at Millie, who smiled warmly back at him. Stepping closer, her laid her chin on his shoulder, so close to his face that his golden hair tickled her nose.

"Momiji..." she said softly. "Millie trusts you."

"Huh...?" Momiji gasped, his heart fluttering. _What do I do?!_

"Millie trusts you enough to tell you her secret."

"Really?" Momiji breathed, exhilaration swelling in his chest.

"Yup. But you can't tell anyone else, 'kay? Promise?" she asked.

"Yeah, I promise!" Momiji answered, smiling, and linked his pinky with hers. Millie, although she smiled back, Momiji couldn't help thinking that she was very... sad. Millie took a deep breath.

"Three hundred and thirty-five years ago..." she began, "there was a familiar named Millie. Millie had a Companion. This Companion wanted to become an Angel more than anything in the world, but whenever Millie thought about it... she cried.

"She did not want him to be an Angel, because without him Millie would become a demon, and they would hate each other forever and ever. And if the Companion became an Angel, he would be a slave, and he would hurt for it. He would hurt bad. He was too kind for that, and he did not deserve it."

Millie stopped and pulled away to look at Momiji. What he saw in her eyes was an unimaginable suffering, and sorrow, and longing. And there was a question. A desperate question in her eyes, but he did not know what, or why.

"What happened?" he whispered when she did not continue.

"He died." Millie answered quietly, her voice revealing nothing. "He died... and so did Millie."

At first, Momiji couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say, and just stared at the girl in shock.

_Mama...?_ Whispered a voice through his mind. For a brief moment Momiji imagined Millie hanging limply from the steel ribs of a walking corpse, staring at him with wide, inhuman, starving green eyes...

Momiji reeled back.

"You're a... Poltergeist..." he whispered in soft horror.

"Yes..."

"But... _no_..."

"Yes. Millie is a Poltergeist. Millie's here, but some of her soul is gone. If not for this," Millie said, holding up the necklace Momiji had noticed the first night he had met her, "Millie's mind wouldn't be here, either. She would lose herself in her nightmares. And… she would kill people."

"You..." Momiji shuddered to a halt, the words dying in his throat. He swallowed and continued. "You... would be the same as that... _thing_... in the cage...?"

Millie nodded, and the Question intensified.

"Oh, Millie..." Momiji murmured. "I'm... I'm sorry..." Momiji bit his lip, looking at her in slight trepidation, then took a breath.

"How did he—" _you "—_ die?" he asked gently. Millie gazed at him calmly— determinedly, sadly, fearfully, pleadingly— and the Question writhed.

"Millie tried to save him," she replied slowly, weighing each word, and softly. "Millie _loved_ him. She lived for him, only for him, because he was her soul. But he... didn't listen. Millie told him and told him the Angels would destroy him. She told him the Angels would imprison, and kill, his soul. But he never listened. He had already walked into the trap... so Millie freed him the only way she knew how."

Millie was breathing quickly, her face pale, and she trembled. The Question was burning, now, as her eyes bore into his in powerful desperation.

"...Millie, how did you save him...?"

Millie bowed her head for a moment, staring in desolation at the ground, and then she slowly looked up and met Momiji's eyes.

"Millie killed him."

Momiji went cold, and suddenly, he knew what the Question was.

_Can you forgive me for murder?_

"I..." he choked out in a strangled, shaking voice. "I don't know..."

And then he ran. Millie stood still, enveloped in the shadows of the stairwell, listening as the echoes of Momiji's footsteps faded away into a deafening silence, so profound that not even the soft fall of tears could break it.

…

"I'm going to get right to the point, Tohru-kun," Hatori said in a business-like tone as he placed his teacup down on the kitchen table. "I am speaking from a singularly professional stance when I ask what these Angels are capable of, so I may know what sort of injuries, if any, to expect."

"Um, okay..." Tohru replied, her own cup clinking slightly as she put it down. "Course, we won't only be fighting Angels, they have underlings that they'll likely be sending after us like... the Cages... but once they figure out it's me, they'll come themselves.

"As for what they can do... Well, they can fly for one. The Archangels use firearms, and the Angels of lower rank usually use longbows, or more likely, repeating crossbows. And the Angels below them use steel weapons, such as swords and axes.

And then there are the Angelic Blades, scared weapons that the Angels use to open doors into other worlds. Those axes I have? They're stolen Angelic Blades that, before I accidentally broke them, could open doors. They can't do that anymore, so I had to learn to do it on my own. They were really just a focus point of that power."

Here, Tohru paused to take a sip of her tea, and then continued.

"But all that we can handle. It's the other stuff that worries me. First off... Angels are telepathic. If they can't hurt you physically, they'll attack your mind, and if it isn't guarded, they could drive you mad. I'm not sure how, but I've heard... stories. They can't do it to me because of Raha; he somehow protects my mind from that sort of thing. But I think with you, we'll need to figure out some sort of extra protection. Well for most of you, there is one person here that I think could handle them, and that's Hatori-san."

"Ha'ri?" Shigure asked, a little surprised.

"Why him?" Yuki and Kyo asked at the same time, and then glared at each other for the plagiarism of their own unique phrase.

"Hatori-san, do you remember what happened when the Familiar Cage attacked?" Tohru asked Hatori, who looked faintly taken aback.

"Yes," he answered evenly. "You came to me and told me to get everyone else back through the door. You disappeared then."

"I was holding off the Cage, or trying to anyways. But there was a reason I chose _you_. Do you know why?"

Hatori was silent, his face expressionless, as he thought it over in his mind. At the time, he had not questioned why Tohru had gone to him, assuming he had been the reasonable choice, or that he was just the most convenient. But now, as he considered it, he speculated what she had found in him that would set him apart from his cousins.

Suddenly he remembered what he had felt when he had heard that terrible, forlorn wail and felt the shadows begin to devour his mind. Then he wondered what the other Sohmas had felt, and he hit on the answer.

"Because I am cold as snow."

"Right! You have learned to suppress your emotions, and in doing so, you have closed off your mind against an attack."

"So to be safe, all we have to do is think like Hatori?" Kyo snorted after an awed silence, causing various people to snigger.

"I wish," Tohru replied. "No, Angels have another power, which I think is a lot more scarier. But first, I'll need to explain the concept of Nova."

"Nova...?" Kyo said dubiously, lifting a brow. "What's _that_...?"

"Perhaps if you'll be quiet and listen for a minute, she'll tell you," Yuki rebuked absently.

"Shut up, you damn Rat!" Kyo yelled, jumping up and baring his fists in his usual manner of 'wanna fight?'

Yuki ignored him.

"Nova," Tohru went on hurriedly, before Kyo could say anything that would surely get him thrown into a wall. "Is the material of all universes, that binds everything together, and makes sure it all works. It also conveys ideas, and the stronger the idea, the more people that will have it. That's how you get people inventing the same stuff in two different countries, or even two different worlds, without ever having known of the other's existence. It's also how you get universal ideas, like the hero archetypes and how stories should be generally structured."

Shigure nodded knowledgeably, smiling. Kyo and Yuki rolled their eyes. Hatori just sighed inwardly.

"I think I get it..." Haru said slowly, to everyone's surprise. "It's like the Force in Star Wars." Everyone then proceeded to promptly fall out of his or her seat.

"Yes, it is a bit like that, actually," said Tohru, who had managed to _not _fall down, thoughtfully. "In the sense that it binds all beings together and is the source of all life. But Nova is a _living entity_ itself, so in a way, it is also like God."

"But what does that have to do with the Angels?" Kyo asked curiously.

"Because Angels can _kill_ Nova. Not all of it, as its everywhere, but they can obliterate portions of it. They can create this massive white beam of plasma light, and anything in its path is destroyed, even the very fabric of the universe, so it briefly opens a door into several other universes at once. And if it hits you, not only is _nothing_ left of your body, but it demolishes your soul as well.

"The only person that has _ever_ survived, and I mean that very loosely, an attack like that was Artemis. And even then, he lost a small bit of his soul, and he's a demon. I don't even want to think of what it would do to a human." Tohru stopped again and sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"And then there are the black holes," she said.

"Do we want to know what those are?" Yuki asked.

"No, but you need to be able to recognize them." Tohru paused to collect her thoughts and nimble a crumpet. "Black holes are pretty much what the name implies: giant black holes that appear in the ground instead of space. They don't suck everything up, other wise they would eat the worlds they're on, but the area around them is really... weird. I don't know how, but its like being in a black and white T.V. with bad reception, all grainy, with no color at all, with the black hole in the center."

"Oh dear..." Ayame murmured in incredulity.

"Yeah. And be sure never to fall in to the black hole, because you'll be trapped in Limbo forever. I fell in once for a few seconds before I opened a door and got out, but I was in a coma for two weeks."

The Sohmas stared at her in shocked silence for several moments.

"A... coma?" Yuki gasped in horror.

"For two weeks?!" Kyo cried.

"Please, don't get so upset, that was a long time ago. And I'm perfectly fine now, so you can stop looking at me like that," Tohru said amiably.

"So what happened?" Kyo urged. Tohru turned red and was suddenly fascinated with her hands.

"I fell in..." she muttered.

_Yeah, that sounds like something our old Tohru would do..._ the Sohmas thought while shaking their heads.

"You _fell_ in." Kyo repeated flatly.

"Well, it's not like I tripped over my own feet and then toppled into the black hole!" Tohru protested in defense. "A demon took us by surprise, and while we were fighting… I was sort of pushed in."

"You were fighting a _demon_?" Yuki asked in surprise and curiosity. "But I thought the demons were the good guys."

Tohru shook her head. "Not _all_ demons are good, like not all humans are good. In fact, _most _demons are cruel, crude, animalistic brutes. I guess that's natural, though, when they don't have souls. The same goes for the Angels, as well. Most of them are like mindless sheep that pretty much want everyone else to be mindless sheep, too, but there are a few that disagree. Val's brother is one of them, he works as a spy for our side within the Angelic ranks."

"Valery-san has a brother?!" Ayame gasped in amazement. "I had no idea!"

"Yeah, his name's Remus. You probably won't meet him, I've only seen him a few times myself, but he and Val are in constant contact with each other now, trying to figure out what the Angels are up to."

"See, Yuki, you could learn from their example!" Ayame said, turning to Yuki.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Yuki said evenly, turning away. While Ayame sobbed quietly, Tohru collected their empty cups and whatever leftovers of their lunch and put them in the sink.

"So, what do you want to do now? Go to the library again?" she asked, turning around.

Yuki, Kyo, Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori looked up in surprise.

"You're going to keep trying, even after what Akito said?" Shigure asked.

"What? What happened?" Haru asked curiously. Quickly, Tohru explained about the library, and that perhaps there was a way to end the curse, and after he, Hiro, and Kisa got over their shock, Tohru turned back to Shigure.

"Of course I am," Tohru replied, as if it was the most logical thing in the world. "Unless, you've changed your minds?"

"But, didn't Akito say..." Ayame started uncertainly.

"If I recall correctly, he never specifically said _not_ to look around in the library."

The Sohmas' jaws dropped, and their eyes widened in stunned silence.

"Tohru... you saw his reaction," Shigure protested breathlessly. "I'm pretty sure..."

"But he didn't say it exactly did he?" Tohru pressed.

"Well... no, but..."

"Then it's okay."

"But that's just underhanded!" Kyo objected.

"Tohru-kun, we cannot go against Akito's wishes. It was quite obvious he did not want us interfering with the Curse, even though he did not expressly say it." Hatori explained calmly. Tohru thought about that for a moment.

"He didn't say to not go into the library. So _don't _look for stuff on the Curse, just poke around, and if you happen to find something..."

"Tohru-kun, are you telling us to disobey Akito?" Hatori asked quietly. "Do you know what that means? Do you know what Akito will do when he finds out?"

"_When_ he finds out?" Tohru asked.

"We have to tell him if you're trying to get us to turn on him," Shigure said quietly.

"And when he does find out, do you know what he will make me do?" Hatori whispered. Tohru's expression grew serious and focused.

"Sometimes," she said slowly, looking at each of them in turn. "It is better to defy orders and do what you think is right."

The Sohmas fell silent, the profound meaning of those words reverberating in their minds. After all, she had disobeyed orders to save all their lives, with hardly a thought about what she was doing.

"But he could have your _memories _erased..." Ayame said weakly.

"Well, he could _try_." Tohru said with a small, crooked grin.

"What do you mean?" Yuki asked.

"My memories... have a firewall. It means no one can access them, or read my thoughts, and I can never forget them. Not as long as Raha's around. He's sort of like a guard dog for my mind," Tohru replied. "So, if you tried to erase my memories, Hatori-san, you'd probably knock yourself out."

The Sohmas knew they should be used to surprising news like this, but every time Tohru revealed something, they still managed to be freshly shocked.

"So, do you still want to go to the library?"

"Yes." Yuki and Kyo said as they stood up. Tohru smiled at them, and then looked inquiringly at everyone else. Haru silently got up and walked to stand next to her.

"Hatori-san?" Tohru said quietly. Hatori hesitated; thinking long and hard about what he was about to do, then slowly nodded the affirmative and pushed himself to his feet. Shigure and Ayame quickly followed suit. Kisa and Hiro also began to get up, but Shigure shook his head.

"No, you two, I don't think you should be a part of this. When Akito finds out, I don't want you two to be in his line of fire. Stay blameless."

"It's not like Lucifer will allow Akito to do anything here," Tohru pointed out.

"Still, just to be safe," Shigure replied with a smile, then held out his arm for Tohru. "Shall we?" he asked, perhaps a little too suggestively, because Yuki and Kyo both smacked him down as hard as they could.

"You, Shigure, are an idiot," Yuki said coldly, stepping over the prone Dog.

"Come on, Tohru," Kyo growled, preferring to step on Shigure as he passed, Haru a few paces behind him.

"...You realize you asked for that one." Hatori said, pausing near Shigure's side. Ayame nodded, though he was utterly clueless as to what he was agreeing to.

Shigure just cried silently at their feet.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or anything else I may have alluded to in this chapter. Which I don't think I did. Except my own book, of course.**

Thanks to everyone that has reviewed!!! Especially those long ones, they're wonderful. Now, on to Answers, and/or comments on the comments. Pretty much anyone that has left a rather long review recently, or asked a question... _or has a bunny army..._ or has my _name_ as their pen name, should be mentioned.

Kashuneko, thanks so much for your $0.02! I liked your rather intelligent analysis on the story, and on Tohru's character. You're absolutely right. There are some other things that tie in with her change, besides her history, which I hope to explain soon. And I agree, a straight Hatori is a good Hatori, otherwise I would have to shoot myself as I am so hopelessly in love with him, as FruitsBasketcase pointed out. Very _loudly,_ I might add. Several times.

And while we're speaking of you, FBC (Mind if I call you that, seeing as we're such good friends now?) I have finally thought of a good way to get Hiro and Kisa more involved in the story, which will be implemented next chapter! YAY! But I can't tell you right now what it is because it's a _ssssseeeecrrrrrreeeeet..._ _Bwahahahaha!_ Also, I'm not going to answer any of your other questions, so you'll just ha-ave tah wa-ait!

AzureDragoness, OH GOD NOT THE BUNNIES!

Angel of Twisted souls, I would _love_ to help you with your story!!! And I like Case Closed (though not as much as Fruits Basket), but first you have to log in and then review _while logged in_ so I can locate your story through your profile to read it. I _could_ just go through each and every story one by one until I find yours among the hundreds, if that's what you had in mind, but I'd rather not. Plus I'm lazy. And it would take time away from the writing of Tohru's Demons, and surely you don't want _that_!!! Of course you don't.

HanaTohruShipperMorgan, I have a groupie!?!?! I feel so loved... And yes, I'll consider your advice about the book. It's not quite finished yet, and I'm busy with trying to turn it into Manga-form, but I'll get around to it. Thanks!

AzureDragoness, GOD NOOOOOO!!!!! AUUUUHHHHHHHHGGGG!!!!!!!!!!

Hyperkitty16, yes, I'm going to have some scenes like that, but instead of Artemis hitting on her, Malacoda will. I don't really think it's in Artemis' character to do that sort of thing, also there's a legitimate reason which will be explained later, as usual. Plus, I think it's funnier if Malacoda does it, and it will make Yuki and Kyo _twice _as mad because Malacoda is so gooood at being _such a pervert!!! _Teeheehee! ♥

Mikon, confused? How awful! But pay for what site? The fanfiction site? If so, no, but I don't think that's what you meant... Oh, now I'm confused...

Nytingale, Ding! Ding! Ding! Yes to all of the above!

RAHAfan, oh wow... I absolutely love you. Just for that. I think everyone should change their name to include my name in there somewhere, don't you? Oh yes, definitely, since I am the pinnacle of awesome...

Just for a day maybe, you guys...? _Pleeeeeeeeaaaasssssssse????_

AzureDragoness, ANYTHING BUT THAT!!!!

Fwoggie, UU to you too.

Phew... Okay, I'm done for now. Thanks again to everyone that has reviewed and supported me, I looooove yoooouuuuu! And I'll try to get Chapter Twenty-Nine up ASAP, 'kay? Okie dokie, then!

And! And! Just so you were wondering, and if I haven't mentioned this already, Artemis' FULL name is Artemis Wolfgang Höllekonnen van Hieronymus. Isn't it so cool!? I thought so, anyway.

Wolfgang obviously refers to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a famous composer from Austria, but you already knew that.

Höllekonnen, translated _roughly_ in German, means literally Hell Canon. It also refers to the House of Harkonnen in _Dune_, cause in Japanese it would be an R instead of an L. Harkonnen—Halkonnen—Höllekonnen. Awesome.

Hieronymus refers to a 15th century Dutch painter by the name of Hieronymus Bosch, known for his depictions of the torments of hell. Found that little piece of evidence in _Behind the Name, the etymology and history of first names._ Sorry, had to give them credit.

And if you're still reading this, which I doubt you are by now because this was _incredibly long_, and probably a bit boring, because I just like to hear myself talk, I was thinking of changing Wolfgang to Wolfwood, alluding to the Nicholas D. Wolfwood in Trigun which in my opinion is one of the greatest creations in the universe. Which one sounds better? Or best fits Artemis' character? Wolfgang sounds more agressive...

Arigatou! (Yeah, just found out it's spelled that way in Jap. Class... and from Zarame, of course)

-Raha-


	29. Moonlight Sonata

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Moonlight Sonata**

* * *

Kyo stretched himself straight up, his arms over his head, and stood on the tip of his toes. Relaxing, he glanced around to make sure no one had seen him. Concluding that the coast was clear, he continued to make his silent way down the darkened hall towards his room.

Just moments ago he had said good night to Tohru and the others after spending the majority of the afternoon browsing the library, without any significant finds.

Significant in regards to the Curse, anyway. He had found several books on ancient martial arts and its origins, which he now had tucked under his arm for future reading on his bed that evening.

As Kyo walked past a painting of a stately, blindfolded woman holding a torch, casting shadows over her face and eyes, the woman suddenly reached out a clawed hand and grabbed his wrist.

"YAAAAAAA!!!!" Kyo yelled, jumping about a foot in the air and whirling around, ready to tear the painting to pieces—

And came face to face with none other than Malacoda, who had materialized in front of the painting while Kyo had passed. Malacoda held up his hands, indicating peace, and grinned in cheerful amusement.

"Whoa there, easy on, friend," Malacoda said amiably.

"_What the hell are you doing coming out of thin air and giving me a heart attack?!_" Kyo roared furiously. "Jeez, at least give me some sort of warning before you go and do things like that."

"Oh, come now, don't be like that," Malacoda whined coaxingly. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to talk, is all."

"About what?" Kyo asked warily.

"Just thought you may be interested in something that will happen at midnight tonight down by the lake, is all." Malacoda said casually with a small, sly smile. And then he faded back into the shadows, his merciless, piercing black eyes glittering in the dark.

Kyo stood still next to the, almost ominous, painting trying to figure out what the hell that was all about.

It was about 11:46 P.M. when Kyo's curiosity finally out bested his better judgment, or the little he had at any rate, so ten minutes till twelve he was making his way down the beaten dirt path that led him towards the lake. There was a huge, full moon out that night, and the sky was spectacularly clear, much clearer than it was in Japan in his universe, so he could easily see where he was going.

Kyo stopped near a crop of bushes and gazed out for a moment over the still water. He might as well have been staring into a piece of sky that had dropped out of the atmosphere and now lay pooling at his feet, riddled with bright, burning white bullet holes.

She was standing waist deep in the fallen piece of Heaven, illuminated, not from the moon alone it seemed, but light refracted softly from the moons of a thousand other worlds. In Her hands She held two silver, shining axes, Her arms out stretched above and slightly to the front, as if to embrace the whole world.

And then She began to dance. Slowly at first, She bent and twisted, the axes gliding through the air like the deliberate rotation of a chaotic galaxy, shimmering through the air in fluid motion as She weaved and swirled in a mesmerizing slow spinning sonata, Her blades intertwining and parting again, winding in, and winding out on paths of incandescent luminosity.

Her dance became faster, then, and the blades sang through the night, flowing across the lake in all directions in resonating, reverberating waves. It was a deadly song without words, a keening cry towards the empty Heavens, filled only with untouchable, unreachable stars and the distant moon, from the depths of Hell in all its Glory.

And then the cry stopped and She stood perfectly still, as if to allow the disturbed waters to calm and once again mirror the sky. For one brief moment between seconds, Kyo thought he saw pale feathers of soft light floating and twirling about Her being before they disintegrated with no more than a gentle sigh into the dark.

She turned Her head to gaze at him over Her shoulder, Her hair and clothes settling about Her body, through tranquil, brilliant blue eyes.

"Kyo-kun...?"

Kyo started and shook his head vigorously, and when he looked again, all he saw was Tohru up to her waist in the muddy waters of the lake.

"Tohru?" he asked shakily.

"Kyo-kun, what are you doing here?" Tohru asked curiously, wading to shore to stand dripping before him.

"I could ask the same thing," he replied, taking a hold of himself. "What were you doing?"

"Oh, you were watching, huh? I was training with my axes, Lapis Lazuli. What you saw was my pattern dance."

"Oh... Why in the middle of the lake at twelve in the morning?" Kyo asked, a little exasperatedly. Tohru did not answer at first.

"I was listening..." she finally replied quietly, her voice distant, and raised her head to gaze up at the brilliant sky and into a far away world.

"Listening?"

"Yeah..." Tohru said disconnectedly. "You know how I can understand all living things? The stars are living entities as well. They are born, they live their lives, and then they die."

Tohru paused to close her eyes, smiling softly in serene joy, and said, "The stars are singing tonight."

Kyo looked up at the sky and for a moment they just stood there, side by side.

"Do they sing like the trees?" Kyo asked after a moment, grinning lopsidedly at the absurdity of his statement.

"No," Tohru said laughingly, her mouth, for a second, also quirking. "The trees sound like an orchestra, and each has their own instrument—brass, woodwinds, strings, etcetera. But the stars... they are a choir. They have voices. And on nights like this, it's the easiest to hear them." She turned to look at Kyo, her eyes focusing again. "Especially in the water. That's why I was in the lake. And it helps me concentrate."

"What do they sound like?" Kyo asked in a hushed voice.

"...Beyond beautiful. I wish you could hear it. It invokes breathtaking ecstasy... and the most profound sadness. It's the single language I don't understand a word of, I guess because it takes all my power just to _hear_ it, but it's poetry unlike anything any person has ever known of, or will ever know...

"It makes you want to live your life to the fullest for all eternity, and at the same time causes you to long for death to come... I'm sorry I'm probably making no sense. It's... hard to explain."

"Hm." Kyo said, unable to come up with anything more eloquent. Just hearing her describe it took his breath away. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like to actually hear it.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Tohru asked suddenly.

"Huh? Oh. Malacoda told me to come out here."

"...Did he." Tohru murmured flatly, turning away, her hands linked behind her back, to look out in to the dark horizon. Kyo eyed her curiously.

"Did he mention why?" Tohru asked, turning back to look at him.

"He said I'd see something interesting. I guess he meant you."

"Naturally." Tohru agreed. "He couldn't have sent you out here, though, just to watch me. There has to be a reason..." she trailed off contemplatively. "Oh, well," she said after a few seconds of intense thought, and smiled cheerfully at him.

"Um, Tohru?"

"Yeah?"

"What you did... I thought it was... it was... beautiful." Kyo muttered, his cheeks and nose flushing red. Tohru glanced at him in surprise, and smiled joyfully.

"Really?" she breathed. "Thank you! I'm happy you liked it."

"And I didn't mean anything weird by that!" Kyo burst out. Tohru smiled to herself, ducking her head to hide it from Kyo.

"I know," she replied. They were silent for a moment; Tohru standing comfortably while Kyo fidgeted and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Finally he took a breath.

"Tohru..."

"Yes?"

"I..." Kyo stopped, then sighed in annoyance and ran a restless hand through his orange hair. "Look. I was watching you during that fight with Artemis, and... you're really... you fight good."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Kyo grinned. "Heh, I'll bet you could even beat Yuki."

"Oh, I couldn't! Plus, I think we'd be too afraid we'd hurt each other to actually do anything," Tohru laughed, which made Kyo grin even more.

"No, seriously, you could! He always pauses just before he strikes you like a fraction of a second. I think it's to make you believe that you still have some hope in winning before he delivers your impending doom."

Tohru stared at him for a moment before they both burst out laughing. Once they got a handle on themselves Tohru said, "You've really studied Yuki-kun, haven't you?"

"Yeah..." Kyo sighed. "But every time we fight, I get so damn angry I forget it all."

"That's a problem. If it weren't for that, you could defeat him, easy."

Kyo snapped his head around so fast to look at Tohru his neck hurt. His eyes were wide with surprise, and confusion. "W-what?" he spluttered.

"What? You're a much better fighter than he is, no offense to Yuki-kun," Tohru replied nonchalantly. Now Kyo was really staggered.

"But he always wins!" he protested.

"Because you always get angry," Tohru pointed out.

Kyo opened his mouth to object, and found that he had no reply to that. She was right.

"Also," Tohru went on. "I think your style is wrong."

"What about it?" Kyo demanded defensively.

"You have all the skills, but you don't utilize them correctly," Tohru explained. "I see Yuki-kun like water. He flows with the movements, waits for his chance, and then strikes. His energy is focused. You are like fire. You rage out of control, burning up all your strength, and your energy goes everywhere. When it's scattered all over like that, then it's easy for you to be defeated, no matter how skilled you are."

Kyo stared at her with a look of 'what the hell are you talking about?' writ all over his face.

"Uhhh... Let me put it this way. Your body is built for speed, stealth, and precision. But you fight like a berserker, instead choosing to rely on raw power—when you fight Yuki-kun, anyways. But you're _not_ a berserker. Maybe if you were bigger, with more bulk, but you're lean, so it doesn't work. You're not Superman, more like Batman."

"Or Catman..." Kyo muttered. Tohru giggled and he grinned askance at her.

"Yeah," she said. "But do you sort of get it now?"

"Mm-hmm. I just can't believe it's _you_ giving _me_ lessons on the style of fighting."

They both grinned at that.

"Hey," said Tohru suddenly. "Do you want to have a go?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Kyo.

"I mean, do you want to fight?"

"What?!" Kyo cried. "With... with _you_?"

"Sure!" Tohru replied. "It'll be fun, just a little duel among friends. What do you say?"

"Uhhh, I don't know..." Kyo said uncertainly. "What if I hurt you...?"

"Kyo, I've fought way worse than you," Tohru laughed. "I doubt it'll happen anyway, I'm probably too fast for you..." she added slyly.

"You are not!" Kyo objected at once without thinking.

"You want to test that assertion?" Tohru asked before he could regret raising his voice. Kyo hesitated a fraction of a second before he nodded, a grin forming on his features.

"You're on!"

Kyo and Tohru stepped back several paces, facing one another, and sank in the ready position.

"I'm not gonna go easy on you, just 'cause you're a girl," Kyo warned.

"Okay," Tohru answered, smiling, and shot forward. Kyo just barely threw up his defense in time as she lunged, dancing back a few paces before twirling into a circle kick. Tohru ducked out of the way, seized his foot, and threw him, with his own momentum, into the lake.

"Oh! Kyo-kun, I'm sorry! I'm sooo sorry! Are you okay?!" Tohru cried, running over to him as he struggled to his feet, spitting water. To her surprise, he grinned.

"I landed in the lake, so I'm fine," he said. "I... underestimated you. Didn't expect you to be so quick."

"So you're okay? You want to try again?"

"Pah! Of course! I'm not gonna make that mistake again. This time, I'll be more careful."

Standing ankle deep in the lake, they sank into their fighting stances.

"Ready?"

"GO!"

Once again, they flew at each other, punching, kicking, dodging, weaving, twisting—

And Kyo, once again, found himself flat on his back.

"Ky-yoo!" Tohru cried, too exasperated to be unduly upset that she had just hurled him into the mud. "What on earth did you think you were doing?! You could have had me just then!"

"Well, ex_cuse_ me," Kyo retorted as he pushed himself up on his elbows. "I... was afraid I'd hurt you or something..." he added in an undertone. Tohru laughed.

"I'm not fragile or anything, it's not like I'll break if you play a little rough."

"I _know_, but... it's _you_."

"Look, if you don't stop going easy on me, you're going to get _very_ muddy."

"Look at the pot call the kettle black! You could've hit me about twenty times by now."

"That is beside the point, sir!" Tohru mock-barked as if she were a commanding officer. An image of Tohru in uniform, shouting out orders to a bunch of testosterone-pumped adolescent boys with M-16s strapped to their shoulders gave Kyo fits.

"What's so funny...?" Tohru asked.

"Just trying to imagine you as an army commander," Kyo explained once he gained a hold of himself.

"Huh…?"

"Uh, never mind."

"…So, do you want to try again?"

"Alright."

"And no holding back this time, okay, Kyo-kun?"

"Right."

Again, Kyo got to his feet and rushed to meet her, intertwining in and out, dancing on their toes through the shallows, their feet kicking up water and sand. Kyo found himself being swept away in the flow of battle and his body fell into its rhythmic pattern. His mind went blissfully blank, without reserve or anger, and without his noticing, he shifted and struck faster, with fluid grace of motion.

So when he saw an opening, he took it without hesitation. His hand seizing her wrist, he pirouetted and _released_, flinging Tohru back over his shoulder into the lake. It was only after she landed with a splash and a wet yell that he realized what he'd done.

"Tohru!!! Are you okay!?!" He cried frantically, wading out towards her. Tohru's head broke the surface, sputtering and coughing. She thrashed about a bit, and then swam back to shore, where she sat shaking.

"Tohru?" he asked worriedly.

Tohru had her hands over her mouth, her eyes clenched shut, and her shoulders trembling. Finally, when she could no longer hold it in, she exploded into fits of hysterical laughter. Kyo stood next to her uncertainly, a confused grin on his face. Obviously, she was fine.

"You-you sh-should see your face!" Tohru gasped between peals of hilarity. After several minutes, she finally pulled herself together, and stood and smiled brilliantly at Kyo.

"So did you feel it?" she asked eagerly.

"Feel what...?"

"It was the pattern dance. I saw it in your face, just before you threw me."

"I... felt _something_," Kyo said slowly. "I got really calm and sort of... stopped thinking, I guess."

"Yeah, I thought so," Tohru said, nodding. "I'm sorry, I held back a little on you, though. Not because I was being nice!" she explained quickly when Kyo scowled. "I wanted to test something. See, if I threw you, I'd break to pattern. So just sort of... danced, to see if you would fall into it. And you did! I knew you could do it! You read what I was doing and responded, and then you won! Not many people can do that."

"Oh... really?" Kyo said in bemusement.

"Yeah, but you need to keep your wits about you, as well. Let everything go, but stay on the alert."

"Okay..." said Kyo. He didn't quite understand, but he got the gist of it.

Tohru yawned widely and looked at the sky. "I'll bet it's about three in the morning. We'd better go to bed."

"Fine. Uh... could we... do this again, sometime?" he asked.

"Sure! I'd love to. How about tomorrow night? Around nine?"

"Okay." Kyo replied.

"Great!" Tohru said, and they walked back to the castle, side by side, in exhausted, yet content and companionable, silence. It was then that Kyo felt her hand slid into his. He was glad it was dark out, or she would have seen the soft smile that played across his lips.

But there was someone that did see it. Someone currently seated in a tree not ten feet away, and his burning golden eyes watching the two as they walked hand-in-hand back to the castle.

Artemis jumped down from his tree limb once Tohru and Kyo were out of sight. His ears were flat against his skull, and his eyes glittered behind his bangs. His heart was writhing.

"Damn them..." he whispered. "Damn them to hell..."

"Now, now, watch your mouth," said a voice. Artemis didn't move.

"What do you want, Val?" he growled. Valery stepped from behind a tree and leaned against it.

"Nothing, I'm just out here for a nighttime stroll. Making your rounds, Arty?"

"I was, but..."

"But then you came upon the lovebirds, is that it?"

"They are _not_ lovebirds!" Artemis cried angrily, whirling on her.

"They sure seemed like it, what with the way they were holding hands."

Artemis slammed a fist into the tree, and then slumped against it with a sigh, staring up at the moon. Valery did not miss the look of pain that shadowed his features.

"Oh god, Artemis, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be cruel." Valery said, stepping forward with concern.

"It doesn't matter anymore…" Artemis replied flatly.

"But you're still hurting." Valery said quietly.

"It's just... seeing her again. But once she leaves, it'll pass."

"No it won't and we both know it! Artemis, you _loved_ each other. That's not something anyone can just walk away from."

"Valery!"

"Well, it's true! Goddammit, I can't stand to see you like this! I don't see why you're torturing yourself like this!"

"Just drop it, okay?!" Artemis snapped furiously.

"No!" Valery cried. "It was never right! It was never _fair_, to either of you, that she had to forget!"

"It wasn't just me that she forgot! It was you, and Millie, and Malacoda, and—"

"But she remembers us now! But she doesn't remember what you felt for her, what she felt for you. Why won't you give that back to her?! You have the key to unlock those memories! Why won't you do it?!"

"Valery!" Artemis roared, bringing her tirade to a screaming halt. "Don't you remember what it felt like," he asked in a strained, hurried voice. "To see those memories taken away? Don't you remember how painful it was? And having those memories of _us_ erased, it was unbearable. I felt like I'd died. When she leaves, this time, after it's all over, she'll have to have her memories erased _again_, to protect her when the Angels come back. If I unlocked those memories now, sooner or later, I'd have to take them back. I... I don't think I could handle it... not a second time."

"So... you're going to let one of those boys have her?" Valery asked quietly.

"Those damn animals... But there's not much I can do about them."

"Except make their lives a living hell while they're here."

"Right." Artemis sighed, then straightened. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to turn in. Good night," he said, with a polite nod to Valery, then turned and made his silent way down the dirt path, feet padding softly over the waste of the canopies.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: (Yoda voice, which I don't own either!) The claiming of Fruits Basket I have not, mmm, nooo. And nothing else do I own, excepting the plot, mmmm.**

It was really fun writing this one. Rather poetic, wasn't it? Anyway, referring to Nytingale's question about Tohru's memories, I believe I mentioned that Raha was guarding them. The only way to tamper with Tohru's memories is to get Raha's permission first, and of course Tohru's. I know you're all dying to know about Tohru's past as Ren, so in the next chapter I'll begin explaining, 'kay? And that's also where Kisa and Hiro will come in, so two birds killed with one stone. Yay.

Also, to swtjemz, I suppose it's possible for things to get through the portals Angels open, but there's a _very_ small chance. They'd have to go through _after_ the blast had passed, and _before_ the portal closes, which is almost immediately. That gives them about a quarter of a second. So no, not many things, besides maybe a mosquito, could pull it off. Also, the universes sort of... exist within each other. Whenever the Angels open a portal with their holy bolt attack thingy, all the universes that particular Angel has been in will open. I hope that clarifies things for you a bit.

And FBC... I like Furbaca, personally. It sounds like Chubaca, but I'll still do it FBC cause I'm just lazy. And, uh, what flavor was the cake...? (starts drooling) I wish I had cake... mmmmm, caaaake....

(Notices the HUGE army of bunnies...) Sooooo scaaarrry.... Sooo horrrrrible... (Hides in a corner and rocks back and forth, mumbling incoherently)

Oh god, oh god, oh god...

(Begins to type feverishly, glancing every now and then at the very intimidating bunnies)

-Raha-


	30. The Monster Under The Bed

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Thirty-One: The Monster Under The Bed**

* * *

Kisa lay stiff in her bed, her covers pulled all the way up to her chin, staring fearfully at the dark floor. She could swear there was something moving there. It wasn't a mouse because it was _huge,_ and it had come from _under her bed_.

It was early morning, though, so Kisa was a little confused, besides being scared out of her mind. It was a law of nature that the Monster-Under-The-Bed only came out late at night, not at eight o'clock A.M. _Maybe he's lost..._ Kisa thought. But she wasn't about to ask. Better _not_ to draw any attention to herself.

Meanwhile, the Monster-Under-The-Bed was making its way towards the window. It reached out a twisted, clawed hand and griped the curtain and with quick shuffling steps, pulled it back. Light shafted into the room and fell softly onto the strange furniture and accessories adorning Kisa's room, which to her had been grotesquely frightening apparitions just mere moments ago in the dark.

The-Monster-Under-The-Bed was a strange, tiny man with hair growing out of his obscenely large bat-like ears. He blinked at Kisa blearily through beady little eyes, then pointed a finger at Kisa, shouted "BBBAAAAAAAHHH!" and then ran back under her bed. For a second she heard the sound of squeaking hamsters and the clink of cogs, and then all was silent once more.

Kisa lay speechless for a few seconds, then _very slowly_ eased out from under the covers, scooted over the edge of the bed closest to the door, then leapt out away as far as she could jump and sprinted out into the hall as fast as her little legs could go.

Artemis was making his way towards his rooms when Kisa came barreling around the corner. He had been lost in thought, not to mention being exhausted, both mentally and physically, so when he heard the distant pitter patter of feet, he at first ignored it and then dismissed it to be some servant or other. He had only just realized it was a human, and a _Sohma_ at that, when Kisa crashed smack into his stomach. Kisa fell back on her behind while Artemis reeled back a few steps with a grunt.

"Watch where you're going!" he snarled furiously in outrage.

"I... I'm sorry..." Kisa gasped barely above a whisper. Artemis blinked, looking down at her for the first time. She stared back up at him with a look of extreme apprehension, which made Artemis's stomach lurch for some reason. A look like that, especially in his presence, would most certainly lead to tears, and _that_ was something he absolutely _could not_ handle.

"Uhh... look, I didn't mean it like that..." he said hurriedly. "So... don't start crying or anything, got it?" he ordered, perhaps a little too forcefully because Kisa shrank back in fear and nodded mutely, her eyes shining. _Oh, god dammit..._ Artemis thought ruefully, putting a hand over his eyes. _What am I supposed to do now?_

"Look..." he started, then sighed regretfully, thinking of his nice, soft bed, and said, "What are you doing up so early? And why were you running?"

"I..." Kisa said softly, and that was about as far as she got before her voice gave out.

"Well? I'm still waiting."

"There... there's something... u-under my bed." Kisa said in a very small voice.

"Really? What did it look like?" Artemis asked, curious.

"It... had big ears and... was small... and old..."

"Oh, you're talking about Sparky. Don't worry about him. He's one of the servants here. They use a tunnel system beneath the castle floorboards, and come out through the trapdoors underneath the beds. He's certainly nothing to be afraid about."

"Is... is he a demon...?" Kisa asked. _And why is he named _Sparky

"What else would he be?" Artemis asked, as if this were obvious, and immediately regretted it when Kisa cringed slightly at his tone. Artemis let out a growl, and ran an irritated hand through his hair.

"Well... he's technically a cross between and kobold and a gnome... Anyway, what's your name, kid?"

"K-Kisa..."

"Do you want to go back to your room, Kisa?" When Kisa shook her head no, he continued. "Well, you can't wander around the castle alone. Something could happen, or you could get lost. So we'll head down to the kitchen, and you can have a glass of milk or something and wait for someone else to wake up. Okay?"

"...Okay."

"Right. Come on." Artemis said and turned on his heel and swept back up the hallway, his coat billowing out behind him. "I said, come on!" he called back over his shoulder. "Or are you just going to sit there all day?"

"C-coming...!" answered Kisa, scrambling to her feet and hurrying to catch up with the demon. They didn't speak the entire way to the kitchen. Kisa's mind was in a frenzy as she sat gingerly on a chair and quietly accepted the offered glass of milk. Then Artemis poured himself a glass and sat down with her. At her look of surprise, his mouth quirked.

"What? Didn't think demons drank milk?"

Kisa shook her head and looked down.

"Neither did I," Artemis said and gulped it down, while Kisa blushed and smiled into her cup. She couldn't help it. Yes, he was certainly scary, but there was something... enduring about Artemis, something that appealed to her.

She wasn't quite sure what it was, perhaps the look of... misery... buried in those angry golden eyes. He was hurting like crazy beneath his tough exterior, and the more she looked at him, _really_ looked at him, slantwise, through the corners of her eyes, the more she was sure of it. And that pain was not unfamiliar to her, she realized.

_That look... It's like Grandpa Hatori's... _she thought. _Like he's lost something precious to him... and he can't get it back._

"Artemis-san...?" Kisa said without thinking. Artemis glanced up at her over the rim of his glass, and Kisa blushed profoundly, surprised at her own bravery. "I... well... I was wondering, um... uh, that is... you look sort of upset about something... Is anything wrong?" she stammered in a breathless rush, her heart pounding, afraid he would for some reason be angry with her.

"Wrong...?" Artemis repeated, blinking in startled perplexity.

"Well, uh... you look kinda... kinda _sad_, and I was... wondering why?"

Artemis stared at her in bewildered silence, completely caught off guard, for several seconds before looking down to contemplate his milk.

"I'm-I'm sorry...!" Kisa gasped. "You don't have to tell me! Please don't be mad...!"

"I'm not mad..." Artemis interjected quietly. "It's just that..." He stopped and looked up, his ears pushing forward and twitching, as he listened for something. Kisa had the sudden, almost irresistible urge to reach over and touch those ears...

"Hey," said a familiar voice. Kisa looked up, and was startled to see Hiro standing in the doorway, glaring at Artemis suspiciously. Artemis leaned back in his chair, slinging one arm over the back, and appraised Hiro with a smirk.

"Did you follow us?" he asked in amusement.

"Yes," Hiro replied defiantly. "What have you been doing to Kisa?"

"He got me a glass of milk," Kisa said quickly, holding up her half emptied cup as proof. Hiro did not look reassured.

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so I... decided to take a walk, and then bumped into Artemis," Kisa explained. Artemis hardly glanced at her over the rim of his cup at this slightly different version of what happened, though he thought "bumped" was rather an understatement.

"Kisa, I trust you can manage now?" he said, setting down his glass.

"Yes... thank you..."

"Good. I was up late last night, so I'm going to bed. In reference to your question..." Artemis hesitated for a moment, then said, "Go find Raha. Tell him I sent you and that you would like to be taken to my private study. You'll find your answers there."

Kisa nodded, her eyes wide, wondering this had in store for her.

"Oh, and Kisa? There's a guard, and he'll... ask you some questions. You shouldn't have any problems if_ you are truthful_." With that message, he rose and strode out of the room. Kisa stared after him in surprise, then slowly rose from her seat, her face burning, and smiled sheepishly at Hiro.

"What was that all about?"

"I'm not really sure..." Kisa said in confusion. "Come on, let's go find Raha-san!" she said, taking his hand and tugging him out of the room.

"Do you know where he is?" Hiro asked.

"Hm, I don't know... But he's usually with Onee-chan, right? And Onee-chan is probably still sleeping, so we should find Raha-san in her room somewhere, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose..." Hiro said grudgingly, reluctant to go willingly to Tohru's room. But Kisa was already on her way, so Hiro felt himself obliged to follow her. Upon reaching Tohru's chambers, Kisa timidly nudged the door open and poked her head inside, her eyes scanning the gray interior. She spotted Tohru's bed, and the vague figure of Tohru herself breathing deeply beneath the covers.

It was a surprisingly plain room, considering she was the King of Hell's adoptive daughter, as Shigure had recently informed Kisa and Hiro. There was only a bed, a desk littered with open books and sheaths of parchments, a chair, and a wardrobe. The colors, they were surprised to see, were moderate blues, greens, and browns, with a few rich reds thrown in here and there. They had been expecting bright, cheerful colors, but instead the room exuded a sense of composure and comfort.

Kisa ventured hesitantly further in, looking around for Rahallion. "Raha-san..." she called softly. "Raha-san, I need to speak with you."

Raha's eyes snapped open and glowed faintly in the dark as he looked down at a boy and a girl from his den in the rafters. The girl, he remembered her name to be Kisa, was calling for him. Why, he did not know, and did not care to know. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. But Kisa, to his annoyance, did not go away. She stayed, standing uncertainly in the doorway, every so often whispering his name aloud and looking about.

This bothered him for three reasons. First, her incessant persistence was keeping him awake, a state he would much rather avoid at the moment. Secondly, she had encroached on _his_ territory without his permission. And thirdly, though he hated to admit it to himself, he was beginning to wonder why she was there. None of these things were tolerable, and he decided he would go down to do nothing short of biting the little whelp's head off.

Kisa was about to give up and look somewhere else, having lingered in the doorway for the past five minutes, when a movement up by the ceiling caught her eye. She looked up to see a fire-eyed demon bearing silently down on her on soft wings, teeth and claws outstretched. Kisa let out a frightened gasp, and Hiro jerked her back before the demon's talons raked her face. Raha landed gently on the floor and leered up at her, baring his teeth in a mocking grin. Kisa stared back at him wide-eyed, her face pale, while the boy glared angrily.

"Is that any way to treat a guest?" the boy asked with scornful impudence.

**Guests? I see nothing but beasts.** Raha replied contemptuously. None but Ren could understand what he said, which came in handy when he took it to his fancy to sit on her shoulder and say lewd or violent things concerning whomever she was speaking to at the time. He _could_ change into his human form, but he _hated_ it with a vehement passion more than any other form in the universes, and he always found a sort of self-satisfaction in insulting people to their face without them having a clue.

Kisa stepped towards him nervously. "Uhh, R-Raha-san... Artemis-san... Artemis-san said that I should come and get you so that you could maybe show us where his private office is so that we can find out why Artemis-san is so sad, so could you maybe take us there, please?" Kisa said in one breath, very fast, and waited tremulously for some sort of reply.

Raha sat down and leveled his gaze at the two children. The first thing he thought was that the brat was lying. Artemis would drop dead rather than give two kids permission to go poking around in his private office. Of course, the logical refute was that the girl really had no reason to lie, nor did he think she was capable of it. The boy perhaps, but he doubted Kisa would have the nerve.

This led to the question of what the hell Artemis thought he was doing, giving two kids permission to go poking around in his private office. Not only did he like to keep that room _private_, hence the name, almost to the point of obsession, but there were things in there that should be kept away from children at all costs. In fact, most of the things in there should be kept away from all mortals, period. They weren't necessarily _dangerous_, per say, but if one went in that room they would certainly come out changed for better or worse, but more the latter.

Of course, Raha could have cared less if she and the boy were scared for life and ended up having to go to an institute. If they were so bent on going into Artemis's office, then it wasn't any of his concern.

But Artemis, though he pretended he didn't, _would_ care because, if a certain funny bunny was any indication, Artemis had a soft spot for kids. Well, Millie had that sort of effect on all of their gang, Raha included, but Artemis more so than any of them. Perhaps by sending Kisa to his study he thought it would accomplish something. It was this notion that piqued Raha's interest, so, after the few seconds of deliberation, he rose and trotted silently past them out of Tohru's room.

"Are you taking us to Artemis-san's study?" Kisa asked. Raha gave her a disdainful look that said 'There's no other reason I'd be wasting my time with _you_ pathetic things' and kept going. Kisa hurried to follow, her cheeks reddening at the implied, or even imagined insult, but Hiro pulled her back.

"Wait. How do you know Artemis is trustworthy?" he asked shrewdly. "How do you know he's not just leading you on?"

"I... just know, Hiro," Kisa replied.

"But how? And what were you talking about with him? And what do you mean he's _sad_?" Hiro sneered the last word with nothing short of disdain.

"He... reminded me of Grandpa Hatori. His expression, anyway."

"And that makes him trust-worthy?" Hiro demanded.

"I'm not sure... there was just something about him. He seems... torn about something, and if I can figure out what it is, maybe I can help him."

**Oh, _that._** Raha snorted. **You're wasting your time.**

"He seems like an insufferable, egotistical idiot to me..." Hiro muttered, and Kisa giggled. They were silent the rest of the way to Artemis's private study, but Hiro's thoughts had suddenly turned chaotic, straying from Artemis to another that caused him great displeasure.

Tohru, the cause of his turmoil, had suddenly become far more complicated and confusing. She was no longer the stupid, sickeningly polite, and obsessively obedient girl he had first met. He had scorned her for those traits, and resented her for her closeness with Kisa, the object of his affections, and those certain qualities that had drawn in so many of his cousins.

But now Tohru was different. She was smarter, almost bordering on intelligence, and perhaps because of that, her range of emotions seemed to have broadened as she was quicker to anger nowadays, and was certainly by no means as naïve. Or it could be that she was not intelligent, just more sarcastic, which was easily mistaken for wit, because of her anger. Either way.

But regardless of how it had happened, Hiro had begun to catch glimpses of something in Tohru he had never seen before, or thought to never see at all. There was something in Tohru that, whenever Hiro stopped to think on it, took him down a road he'd thought he'd never wanted to travel, and still did not.

Raha had come to a halt outside a mahogany door with a bronze knob and sat down, ruffling his feathers as he settled his wings.

"Is this it?" Kisa asked, walking up to tentatively touch the door.

**Obviously.** Raha said dryly. **Are you just going to stand there and stare at it, or are you going inside?**

Kisa must have sensed his question on some unconscious level, an unusual feat for a mortal, released or not, because she started with a gasp, grasped and twisted the knob, and pushed into the room. There was a gaping blackness waiting for them inside, and the temperature seemed to drop a degree or two.

"Who's there?" called a voice out of the dark. Kisa and Hiro jumped, the hairs on the backs of their necks prickling.

"Hiro and Kisa Sohma," Hiro said, keeping the quaver out of his voice, his eyes searching the deep shadows. "Who are you?"

"We are they who eat themselves and live forever. We are the guardians of the gates beyond the Styx, the three-headed dog that devours all who do not belong, we—"

**Shut up, Strangelove. Just get to the point—without the melodrama.** Raha snapped impatiently, and flipped on the light. There before them, entirely blocking the way into the room, squatting regally and self-righteously in a shallow clay pot, was a very large Venus flytrap. It was about four feet high, its serrated jaws ringed with a mane of purple petals, and was staring right at them, or something just as well as it did not have eyes.

"Impertinent little monster..." it growled at Raha, who smirked. "This one is called Strangelove. What do you want with us?" The question was directed at Hiro and Kisa.

"_Strangelove?_" Hiro choked under his breath. The plant ignored him.

"Artemis told me to come here...uh... sir." Kisa said.

"Did he now?" the plant said, leaning in towards her, and baring its green teeth in what Kisa supposed was a smile.

"That's what she just told you," Hiro retorted. "And we're tired of waiting, so move out of the way."

Strangelove's jaws snapped at Hiro's face, its teeth just short of the boy's nose. Hiro jerked back in surprise, and glared.

"You can afford to learn some manners, or next time you will not be so lucky, mutton," the plant hissed.

**_Mutton?_** Raha snorted. **That's the best insult you can come up with?**

"Oh, was that a threat? What are you going to do, _Strangelove_? Hop after me?" Hiro taunted, dancing just out of reach.

**Heh.**

"Come closer, little lamb, and we'll bet you will not be so cheeky."

**Will you please stop with the sheep jokes?**

"No, I like my face, and I'd much rather keep it, thanks," Hiro replied. "But I can understand how you might want it, seeing how your own has something to be desired."

**My, that was almost _clever_. You certainly like to twist what people say, don't you?**

"Hiro... I don't think teasing it right now is a very good idea..." Kisa said.

"You'd best take your girlfriend's advice, _kid._" Strangelove goaded.

**Oh, Strangelove that was _such a _bad pun... Even if he _were_ a goat, it would _still_ be horrible...**

"If you want to enter, you must first get past us," Strangelove went on, oblivious.

"Well, _that's_ obvious," Hiro snorted. "Though it'll be difficult, as your _bulk_ blocks the way completely."

"Brazen bastard!" Strangelove screamed, finally losing its cool. "That is _not_ what we meant!"

"What do you want us to do?" Kisa asked hurriedly, before the argument could escalate further (**A little late, aren't you?**). A silken smile twisted Strangelove's gaping jaws. A vine, unseen, slithered and wrapped itself around Kisa's waist and pulled her closer into the vicinity of that all consuming mouth before Hiro even knew what was happening.

"Kisa!" he cried frantically.

"Hiro...!" Kisa gasped in fear.

"Let her go!" Hiro started forward furiously, but the vines wrapped themselves firmly around Kisa's waist and crept towards her throat.

"One more step, and we're afraid the little tiger may come to some harm. We wouldn't want that, now would we?" Strangelove asked quietly, and Hiro stopped in his tracks.

Hiro wondered briefly at how Strangelove knew about the Curse, but found that he should not be all that surprised. The weed had been hinting at his knowledge, but Hiro had never taken it to be what it was until now. But none of that was important. The only thing that mattered, that would ever matter, was Kisa.

"What do you want?" Hiro asked carefully, angry with himself that he had not seen this coming.

"We want to ask you some questions. If you answer them correctly, we will release her and you will be free to pass. If you answer wrong, we will snap her neck, and you may not pass."

"Wh-what?" Hiro gasped in horror. _What do I do?_

"If you so choose, you may back down, I will release Kisa, and you will both leave immediately." Strangelove said. "Of course... _that_ is the _cowards_ way."

Hiro winced at that word.

Coward.

How he _hated _that word.

_Even when I found out the other kids were picking on her I couldn't do anything..._

Hiro shut his eyes as his words crashed into his skull.

_So I ran away... I ignored her... And the whole time I was still telling myself that I loved Kisa..._

_I _am_ a coward._

"So my first question is... How far are you willing to go, and what will you do to get there?"

Hiro clenched his fists and bit his lip. Then he swallowed, and said with quiet fury, "Maybe I'm a coward, then. But I won't risk Kisa's life. Let her go, please, and we'll leave."

"Hiro..." Kisa murmured.

Strangelove paused, and then, to Hiro's surprise, bowed nobly.

"Now that... is the correct answer," he said, and the vines gently disentangled themselves. "You may pass, Hiro Sohma."

**Well, well. The brat has some brains, after all. How surprising. I would never have guessed.**

"What?" Hiro asked.

**But then again...**

"The most hardest thing is to swallow one's pride and step down. _That_ is what bravery is." Strangelove said. Hiro hesitated, thinking that over, then nodded once, and slipped past the plant, Kisa following close behind.

"What you're searching for," Strangelove said. "Can be found on the bottom shelf to your left over there."

"Uh, thank you..." Kisa replied, and Strangelove grunted. Hiro crouched down, eyeing the contents of the shelf, and then grinned crookedly.

"How convenient," he said, and pulled off a DVD. Kisa came over to look at the cover.

"_The Chronicled Adventures of Ren Bluesummer Ptolemy and Artemis Wolfwood Höllekonnen: Volume One._" She read. "This... is about Onee-chan. But... how is it a DVD...?"

**They're Ren's memories, you dolt.** Raha snorted. **They were copied, and stored on a CD for, as the brat said, convenience.**

Hiro shrugged and looked around the room for a DVD player. Spotting it, he walked over, pushed a few buttons, inserted the disk, pressed play and sat down next to Kisa on the couch to watch.

"All we need now is some popcorn," Hiro muttered, and Kisa giggled. Raha groaned and almost stalked out of the room in disgust.

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket (sobs), or anything I alluded to, such as Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb, nor do I own Sparky (sadly). He is a character created by a friend of mine in my Dungeons and Dragons group.**

Well, FruitsBasketcase, there's your evil plant. I hope you're happy. But seriously, I liked writing Strangelove it was so fun! I hope you like my take on him. And about Raha, how he can speak in Tohru's mind, I only recently came up with that and liked it a lot, which is why I utilized here. I didn't want to go back and write him into everything, and I doubt anyone would want to reread it all again anyway. And this way, it's easier to give him a more active role, so I expect you'll be seeing him more. And I'm really, really sorry that the Angels are taking so long, but they're coming, I promise! Either next chapter, or the one after that, I swear on my honor. No, wait, I have no honor... Ummm... I swear by my _reviews_! There, much better.

Later!

-Raha-


	31. The History Of Ren

**Tohru's Demons **

**Chapter Thirty-One: The History Of Ren**

* * *

CHAPTER ONE: REN BLUESUMMER PTOLEMY appeared on the screen in large, white letters.

"_Miss Honda's life starts eighteen years ago, in the year 1982," _began a stately, middle-aged voice in English, with a decidedly British accent. Japanese subtitles appeared in yellow at the bottom of the screen for Hiro and Kisa's benefit. _"Though the history that led up to her birth plays a major role in this story and in the events that occurred in Ren's 11th year; it begins eight centuries ago, in 1204, when an immortal man first discovered how to separate a human being into his or her Angel and demon components. His name was William Farinata Ptolemy."_

"Immortal…" Hiro whispered. "What I wouldn't give for _that._"

"Wait…" Kisa whispered. "I've heard that name before… we heard them talking about a Farinata when we were riding to the castle, remember?"

Hiro gripped Kisa's arm suddenly. "Kisa!" he gasped. "He said Ptolemy! What was that name in print?"

Kisa stared at Hiro in confusion, and then her eyes widened in revelation.

"Oh my god… Ptolemy! Ren Bluesummer _Ptolemy!_ But… does that mean that Farinata is… her _father_?"

"I don't know. Ren isn't her real name, right?"

"Yeah… Katsuya's her papa, not this man."

Both of them fell silent and turned their eyes to the TV screen once more.

While they were talking, a yellowed, aged picture of a dark-haired, aristocratic man, obviously Farinata, appeared briefly and faded. The voice, waiting for them to stop talking (it apparently had some magical elements), continued its narrative.

"_The First Angel, titled God, was a woman by the name of Marianne Bellucci de Morangias, from the Gevaudan province in France."_

Following this statement was a very old picture of a pretty young woman, perhaps around sixteen, smiling laughingly back at the camera. She wore a fancy, elegant dress, and her golden blond locks and curls tumbled neatly over her shoulders and rode atop her head in a fashionable bun. There was something alluring about her large innocuous green eyes, her voluptuous lips, her pearly skin, something almost seductive that pulled Hiro in and for one brief moment he was ready to do anything for her even if it meant his own life… He firmly clamped down on that thought with utter disgust at himself, and perhaps a little bit of shame.

_I'm in love with the little tart and I don't even _know _her!_ He thought vehemently. _I'm definitely not going to be some skirt-chaser like that pathetic Dog!_

Unconsciously, Hiro reached over and grasped Kisa's hand.

_I love _Kisa.

"_The Second Angel, titled Metatron, was Madame de Morangias's younger brother, Jagorah Godelieve de Morangias."_

The profile of a handsome young man, about fourteen or so, materialized. His dark eyes smiled back at them, and there was definitely a gentle demeanor about him, not quite so over-powering as his sister's. Perhaps that was due to that fact that his clothes, though clean and obviously of rich fabrics, were far more plainer than Marianne's. His short, dirty blond hair was far less showy, and fell into his eyes in a laid back, careless sort of manner. Hiro and Kisa instantly found themselves liking this boy.

"_And the Third Angel was a girl by the name of Asrielle Christiane Höllekonnen van Heironymus, from Erding, Germany."_

There was a portrait of a thirteen-year-old girl, with long, wavy brown hair, smiling gaily at the camera and waving, wearing a light summer dress. She stood beneath a large cherry blossom tree, whereas the other two had been sitting in a large luxuriantly furnished room. She was laughing and there were cherry blossoms strung around her neck an in her hair.

_"Their demons were, respectively, Lucifer Anatole de Morangias, Noctifer 'Malacoda' Lamya de Morangias, and Artemis Wolfwood Höllekonnen van Heironymus. Both Angels and demons are the highest in their rank."_

"Wow…" breathed Kisa. "I had no idea he was so powerful…" Hiro scowled, guessing who she was talking about, and not liking how impressed she looked.

"And Lucifer is God's unconsciousness… It figures," he muttered.

_"The Angels were originally created to combat other nations, believed to be highly intelligent, and supremely powerful, as they indeed were. But something went terribly wrong when young Asrielle became an Angel, or, in more technical terms, focused. As the familiars Lucifer and Noctifer were focused and became demons, they were able to escape their cages, inadvertently releasing the familiar Artemis from his cage as well. Artemis promptly made his way to Asrielle, seizing her just at the moment of focus and, whether by accident or intent, stole her soul."_

Kisa's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped and Hiro stiffened.

"He stole her _soul_?!" Hiro cried, appalled.

"_Correct, Mr. Sohma,"_ said the voice, making Hiro and Kisa jump unpleasantly. _"Now, if you please, I would like to continue without anymore interruptions, thank you."_

"Uh… sh-sure…" Hiro stuttered feeling terribly unsettled.

"_My most sincerest gratitude. Ahem… Asrielle, without her soul, became known as the Angel of Death, who, without feeling killed everyone she was ordered to, demon or otherwise._

"_As no one knew at first what had really happened to Lucifer and Noctifer, it was assumed they had evaporated somehow. So more Angels soon followed. By the time people figured out the demons were not disintegrating the moment of focus, it was too late, and the demons by that time were rapidly multiplying, not only with each other, but with humans as well, breeding such monstrosities as werewolves, vampires, harpies, and other such ilk._

"_The only way to combat the growing populace of demons was to create more Angels, and hope to destroy the demons the moment after focus. The Dogma War, commonly referred to as the Great War, had begun, reining in centuries of bloodshed and fighting that still rages to this day, though it abated somewhat in 1704 when Artemis was executed at Asrielle's hands. When he died, the other two demons, Lucifer and Noctifer retreated back into the shadows. He had been one of the strongest driving forces in the war, and Asrielle's most dire enemy, equal to her in body and mind."_

"Then how did he die?" Hiro snorted.

"_Not everyone is as perfect as you,"_ the voice replied icily, and somewhat sarcastically, restraining, Hiro suspected, an annoyed sigh. Apparently a narrator of his caliber was too noble for such things as sighs.

"_Eighteen years ago is when Tohru Honda came into this story, though at the time she did not go by that name. Her real name was, and is, Ren Bluesummer Ptolemy, daughter of William Farinata Ptolemy III and Marianne Bellucci Ptolemy de Morangias."_

"Oh my god…" Kisa whispered. "Marianne… God… is her mother?"

"And Lucifer was Marianne's unconsciousness…" Hiro muttered. "Does that mean he's like her… father…?"

"I thought Farinata was."

"You could say he's like God, too, since he created the Angels."

"Ummm… let's not go there, it makes my head spin just thinking about it."

"So then… does this mean that other lady… what's her name…?"

"Kyoko-san?"

"Yeah. That means Kyoko wasn't her real mother."

Both children fell silent at this.

"Does… does Tohru know?" Kisa asked the voice quietly.

"_No. She does not. Those memories of Marianne are locked away, and no copies were made. The only one that holds those memories is Lucifer. For all Ren knows, she is Tohru Honda, daughter of Katsuya and Kyoko Honda."_

"How did Tohru end up with them?" Hiro asked. "In another universe, no less?"

"_That will take some explaining. Note that Farinata was madly in love with Marianne, was all but consumed by that love, so naturally they had several other children before Ren, though Marianne would never have more than one at a time. All of Ren's siblings have long since been dead, though rarely of old age. It is common for Ptolemy children to die young."_

When Kisa let out a horrified cry, the voice quickly amended itself.

"_For political reasons, of course, or as a result of fighting in the Dogma War, not because of some hereditary illness."_

Kisa was not sure she liked that answer, but she fell silent and nodded.

"_But most of those children's untimely deaths were due to covert operations of Jagorah Godelieve de Morangias."_

"Jagorah?" Kisa gasped. "That nice looking boy? He… killed his own _family_…?"

"_Yes. He was conspiring to take over the throne, and did not want a child to take what he thought to be his rightful place. He was resentful towards Marianne for being the First, and thus being revered as God. He believed that duty rightfully belonged to him, the male of the family. By the time Ren was born, he had secretly amassed an army and would soon attack the crown. Farinata found out about it, and informed Marianne, and then fled into your universe with Ren through a door the Angels had opened. There, he took the name Katsuya Honda, and changed Ren's name to Tohru Honda. Not long after, he met Kyoko. But after a year, and still no word from Hirofuriae, Farinata feared the worst. By then, he had fallen in love with Kyoko, so he proposed to her and settled down."_

"Wait, what about Onee-chan's grandfather on her father's side?" Kisa asked.

"_They are the Ptolemy family's agents, not Farinata's real family."_

"Oh…"

"_Then, two years later, Farinata was unexpectedly called back to Hirofuriae and left without a word. Kyoko, rather than tell Ren the truth, told her Katsuya had died of a disease. Eight years later, after Jagorah had disappeared and was presumed dead, Farinata returned for Ren when she was eleven. He renounced his love for Kyoko, divorced her, and took Ren back to Hirofuriae."_

"Just like that…? But he… he loved her, didn't he?" Kisa asked quietly.

"_He could not very well have two wives. That… would have instigated complications. Kyoko, of course, was devastated. For a time she somehow even became involved with the Yakuza gang because of it, in an attempt to locate her "daughter" when the police could do nothing. Yet that, as Ren was located in another universe, also proved ineffective._

"_But, not long after she returned to her own world, Ren found out something about Jagorah. She heard two men, names unknown, talking about his return. They caught her, and as they could not kill Marianne's daughter, they released her. First of all, it is imperative that whoever is being released must want to be. If they fight, it could damage their minds or their familiars. Secondly, as the entirety of the subconscious mind is being relocated into a physical body through the use of a science called 'alchemy', it results in extensive amnesia, wiping out all previous memories of the self. In other words, Ren forgot who, and where she was, and all memories of the people she knew. That took care of her knowledge of Jagorah._

"_But Ren fought, and _that _is where the real story starts…"_

_Hiro and Kisa sat forward_ as the black screen rose away to reveal a white, sanitized room brightly lit with florescent lights. A camera panned from side to side and the quiet whir of electronics reverberated softly along the walls. The image was grainy, bars of snow traveled up the screen, and it skipped through patches of noise.

On one side of the room a giant apparatus of wires, keys, and screens covered one wall, murmuring incessantly to itself. Data scrolled up the screens and monitors blinked. Next to it sat two men and long white lab coats, masks, and gloves. On the wall adjacent to this conglomeration of machinery, and directly before the camera through which the two children watched, was another, even stranger, device. Two columns of cables and wires, about fifteen feet apart, stood anchored to the floor like a pair of petrified, steel trees; their roots spreading and digging into the floor like worms, mirrored by their canopies. Between them, suspended above the air by various cables and wires sprouting from the "trees", was a large, light green-yellow glass sphere.

Beneath the sphere was a vast circular geometrical design etched into the floor, and in the middle of it was set a steel and glass cage. Within the cage could be seen gases, a small pile of what looked to be multi-colored sand, and water.

Held within the sphere was a body. The arms were stretched out, the wrists entwined with the wires that grew from the sides of sphere, as if in crucifixion.

_Hiro and Kisa recognized Tohru at once._

"Oxygen, 65 ounces," said one of the men. "Carbon, 18 ounces; hydrogen, 10 ounces; nitrogen, 3 ounces; calcium, 1.5 ounces; phosphorous, 1 ounce; potassium, .35 ounces; sulfur, .25 ounces; sodium, .15 ounces; magnesium, .05 ounces, and traces of fifteen other elements. Yes, we have everything."

"That's all the elements that make up the human body. Are the burners ready?"

"Yes. All four elements, fire, water, earth, and air, will be present at the moment of release. Component elements from birds, insects, mammals, and fish have also been added."

"Alright." The man who had spoken flipped several switches on the computer and typed something on one of the keyboards. The screens flashed.

"Beginning transmutation of the familiar Rahallion's body… now."

The man struck a key and the steel trees sparked to life, electricity already traveling down their trunks into the glass cage, and there it writhed and twisted, turning purple from contact with the different elements. In the same instant the burners at the bottom of the cage flared up and everything ignited. From the flames a shape began to form in the midst of the light and fire, rising up slowly from what would seem the depths of hell, and electricity and light danced around sphere.

And then a scream tore through the air. The white light turned an angry shade of red and thrashed violently. Tohru's back was arched and her mouth was open, but no one could hear her screaming over the noise of the machines and the thunder rolling through the room.

The two men were yelling, and then their cries turned to shrill shrieks of panicked agony as their bodies ripped themselves apart from the inside out. Something dark was forming in side the sphere with Tohru, and then the camera exploded into a barrage of static and white noise.

A few seconds later the image returned. The light was gone. All that was left of the two men was a splatter of blood of the walls and floor. The whole front of the sphere was gone, as if something had blasted out of it, and lay in pieces on the floor.

In the middle of that red pool stood a young Artemis, his back turned slightly, his face tilted towards the ceiling...

Laughing.

_Suddenly Raha let out a cry and Hiro and Kisa jumped, whipping around to see him rise, stiff-legged. The faint sound of running footsteps was growing louder and Hiro hit the Stop_ button just as the door burst open and Artemis strode into the room.

"An Angel has made its appearance," he announced. "Tohru requested that I take you to the front courtyard so you could see us off."

Hiro and Kisa sat frozen in their seats, staring at Artemis in shocked bewilderment.

"A… an Angel…?" Kisa said.

"Yes, now come on! We have to go!"

Both children rose quickly, but suddenly Kisa stopped, her eyes looking back at the black screen.

"Artemis…" she said quietly. Artemis stopped in the doorway, his back towards the girl.

"I know what you're going to say," he said quietly. "There are things in my past that I... deeply regret. Things I would give anything to change. Things I deserved to die for, and still do, and that I can never repent for. All I can tell you now is that, before I met Tohru..." He turned to look at Kisa over his shoulder. "...I wouldn't be caught dead with rubber bullets."

Kisa blinked in surprise, her mind racing back to that day she first met Artemis Wolfwood Höllekonnen van Heironymus, when he threatened to blow Akito's head off with a barrel of useless bullets...

"Alright," said Kisa

"Alright," said Artemis. "Let's go."

Hiro and Kisa nodded and hurried to follow Artemis out of the room, Rahallion at their heels.

"See you later!" Strangelove called after them before the door shut.

"Where's the Angel?" Hiro asked, catching up with the demon.

"In a demonic universe," Artemis replied.

"A what?" Hiro asked.

"It's a world where demons are numerous and roam freely. They aren't demons like me or Malacoda or Lucifer; they're lower ranking demons by our standards. Multiplied from other demons mostly, and some from humans, but most of the demons there seem to look down upon their half-human brethren. Actually, in most universes that's the case. These don't come directly from the human mind like we do, but they do seem to originate from human emotions."

"But if they're created by human emotions, why do they hate us so much then?" Hiro asked.

"I have no clue. Most of the demons in this universe are complete idiots anyway, if you ask me."

"What's this universe called?" Kisa asked.

"We've named it Sengoku. It's a weird little world, because there's a time rift in it."

"A time rift?"

"Yes, I went through it once before, with Tohru."

By now they had reached the landing to find Tohru, the Sohmas, Valery, Millie, Lucifer, and Malacoda waiting for them.

"Kisa! Hiro!" Tohru called in greeting, waving up at them. Kisa flew down the stairs and into Tohru's arms. Hiro followed at a more dignified pace. Artemis chose to bypass the stairs completely, just leapt over the railing, and landed lightly next to Mille.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, noticing at once that she was not her usual cheery self. Millie peeked over at Momiji for a moment. He caught her eye, and then looked away, reddening.

"It's nothing, really…" she said quietly.

Artemis studied her for a second, and his eyes flicked to Momiji.

"Alright then," he said finally. Turning away, he spotted Tohru. She was saying her goodbyes and adjusting the two giant axes on her back, worn so that they almost looked like steel wings. She glanced up and caught his eye, and smiled. Artemis almost smiled back, but he looked away and pretended he hadn't noticed.

Kyo and Yuki stood nearby, with Haru, Kagura, and Hatori. Akito stood a little bit away from the others, somewhat in the shade of the castle, and didn't seem interested in what the others were doing. Ayame and Shigure were near Hatori, looking a bit unsettled, but they still somehow managed to make light of the situation.

"Oh, Ha'ri, it's awful, you going off and leaving me like this!" Ayame cried dramatically.

"Just come back soon, alright?" Shigure said. "Otherwise I'll drive myself crazy with worry. And if you manage to get yourself hurt, I'll never forgive you."

"Will you just stop?" Hatori sighed.

"Hey, Hatori!"

Hatori looked up to see Val making her way towards him.

"Yes?"

"Lucy asked me to give this you," Val said, smiling, and pushed a leather satchel into his arms. "I don't expect you'll be needing it, what with Ren and two demons along, but you never know, you know?"

Hatori blinked slowly at her. _Lucy…? Oh._

He looked up and spotted Lucifer several paces away, talking quietly with Malacoda. Though the Demon King seemed quite serious, Malacoda had his hands behind his head and was grinning like a fool, which reminded Hatori strongly of a certain someone.

"Oh, Ha'ri, you old dog!" Shigure cried.

_Speak of the devil…_ Hatori thought ruefully.

"What's this? A gift? What's in it, candy, flowers, lo-ove letters?"

"What are you talking about…?" Hatori said, taking a look inside. "It's a medical kit."

"What a lovely present! It befits you perfectly! So… how long has your little relationship been going on, and behind my back no less?"

"Stop it, Shigure." Hatori said with irritable flatness.

"Aw, don't worry Hatori, I get that kind of stuff from perverted, lust-starved old men all the time," Val said nonchalantly.

"Oh, that hurt…" Shigure sighed. "I'm not an old man. I'm only twenty-eight, you know."

"So you don't deny that you're perverted?" Val asked, her brow quirking, and a crooked grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Well…" Shigure laughed. "I wouldn't go _that_ far…"

Val stepped close to him and slipped her hand into his pocket.

"Really?" she asked. "_I_ would…"

Shigure froze, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping open in utter surprise.

Artemis grabbed the back of Val's shirt and dragged her away.

"Perverted little girl, stop playing around," he snorted.

"Awww, Arty you're so boring! I was only having a bit of fun…!"

"The only problem is _your_ type of fun isn't exactly socially acceptable, now is it?"

"Oh my…" Shigure murmured, rooted to the spot with shock. "I think… I think I'm in love…"

"I wouldn't try it, if I were you," said a voice just behind him. Shigure yelped and jumped in the air, then whipped around to find Malacoda, smiling jovially.

"She'll break your heart. I'd stay away, if you know what's good for you," Malacoda advised. "She's gone through more guys than you can imagine." With that he winked and was gone. Shigure began to smile.

"Aaya... I believe I've found another game."

"So, where exactly are we going now?" Kyo asked Tohru.

"To Sengoku," she replied. "We've been there before, and have powerful friends there, so we shouldn't have any problems with the Angel if they help us as well."

"Sengoku? What's it like?" Yuki asked.

"See for yourself," Tohru said stretching forth her hand and opening a door to another universe. Through the door was a very green world with sweeping hills, misty mountains in the distance, lush forests, grasses as far as the eye could see, flora and fauna everywhere, and the bluest sky Yuki had ever seen. It looked like a regular paradise.

Except for the giant, fifty-foot bear-demon wreaking havoc on the village below them.

"Oh no…" Tohru whispered. "Artemis, that's Kaede's village!" she cried.

"Come on!" he called, and sprang into action, dashing at full speed towards the demon. Tohru hurried after him, calling last minute goodbyes over her shoulder, Malacoda and Millie hot on her heels.

Kyo, Yuki, Kagura, Haru, and Hatori stood rooted to the spot, staring at the gargantuan beast that roared with thunderous fury as it ripped into another house. People ran screaming from the monster, their spears and arrows forgotten.

"Are you just going to stand there all day, or are you planning on doing something useful for a change?" asked a cold voice behind them. Kyo and Yuki whirled around to come face to face with Akito, who stared calmly back at them with cool derision.

"Just watch me!" Kyo snarled and took off towards the demon.

"Wait for me, Kyo-kun!" Kagura called, running after him.

"Come on," Haru said, and he and Yuki followed them.

"I guess that medical kit will come in handy after all, huh?" Valery said to Hatori before she broke into a run, Hatori not far behind. Akito made his leisurely way down the path, enjoying the scenery, a smile crawling into his mouth as he watched the demon demolish another house.

_This may prove interesting after all…_

Artemis landed before the demon, his hand flashing towards his side, and the muzzle flew up, firing two shots straight into the demon's skull through its eyes, the mercurial bullets exploding on impact. The bear swayed, and the expression on its face might have been one of surprise if its head weren't missing, its claws raised to strike as it tilted forward and fell, its body disintegrating before it even hit the ground.

Artemis holstered his musket, smirking smugly. A glimpse of red and white caught his eye and he looked up to see a very surprised looking boy standing about twenty feet away, his clawed hand on the hilt of his katana, his body in a fighting stance, just about to attack what Artemis assumed to be the now very dead demon.

"Artemis?" the boy asked.

"Yeah," Artemis responded with a cocky grin. The boy released his sword and made his way towards the demon, his long white hair swaying behind him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked. Artemis's grin widened.

"Hello to you, too, Inu-Yasha."

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Inu-Yasha, and I wouldn't have used the alchemy stuff if I hadn't been watching Fullmetal Alchemist, which I don't own either. Course, alchemy and transmutation existed before Fullmetal, but I got the idea from that.**

Alright, the plot thickens! Again! I decided to visit some of my favorite animes, mangas, and books. It should be pretty fun for a while now. You really don't have to know any of them (though I doubt anyone doesn't know about Inu-Yasha), so no worries.

And, uh… sorry for making you wait for eternity. My boyfriend loaned me like tons of anime and manga so I've… sorta been watching it for the past decade or so and kinda forgot about everything else. So sorry! Please forgive me! But I'll make it up to you I promise!

Well, that's all I've got to say.

-Raha-


	32. The First Angel

**Tohru's Demons **

**Chapter Thirty-Two: The First Angel**

* * *

_WARNING: Artemis makes some… rather explicit private part jokes here. Plus, Inu-Yasha swears a lot, but hey, that's Inu-Yasha. Just scroll on past the bold capitalized letters if you don't want to hear it. Course… you'd be skipping like a page of my utter brilliance, which you'd have to be some kind of moron to do, but hey, your loss._

* * *

By the time Tohru and the others had reached the village, Inu-Yasha was already throwing a fit, which was growing more ferocious by the second as Artemis poured gasoline on the fire by being his usual insufferable self.

"—YOU SONOVABITCH, WHAT THE HELL IS A SACRILEGIOUS NEANDERTHAL?!" Inu-Yasha roared at the top of his voice.

"You." Artemis replied coolly. "You are a primitive, uncouth, maggot of a dog who can't even see what's in front of his own nose."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! I'LL KILL YOU, I SWEAR TO THE GODS, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU… YOU WUSSY LITTLE WOLF, I'LL TEAR YOUR FREAKING THROAT OUT!!!" Inu-Yasha yowled, reached down, whipped out his small, thin, pointed sword, which somehow grew into an enormous steel fang (probably due to his raging hormones) of orgasmic proportions, and directed it at Artemis.

"Oh, yes, whenever your flattened brain can't think of something idiotic to say you resort to violence. A bit too much testosterone, eh, little doggy? Course, you may need that much, seeing as you're trying to go after two females at once… actually, make that one female and one cold psycho bitch. So what are you, a Mormon?"

Inu-Yasha thrust his sword at Artemis with a furious stream of colorful words, but Artemis simply stepped aside and the white blast from the sword roared past him and engulfed a barn.

"AT LEAST I'M TALL ENOUGH TO LOOK MOST WOMEN IN THE EYES, YOU DAMN PIPSQUEAK! YOU'RE LUCKY REN'S SHORT OR SHE'D BE LOOKING DOWN ON YOU, TOO, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!!!"

"Kagome really should have you neutered," Artemis bit back angrily. "What with all your wandering. But then again, I doubt you'd even know what to do if it really came down to _that_. I'll bet you're still a _virgin_, aren't you?"

"WHAT?! SAY _WHAT_?!" Inu-Yasha spluttered, the blood rushing to his cheeks in hot embarrassment and utter, unadulterated, murderous fury.

"You know, now that I think of it, that sword of yours fits you just perfectly. I hear it grows red and even pulsates when you get really _excited_. I'm surprised you even have the _balls_ to use such a thing, or could it be… it's just some phallic metaphor by way of compensation? You're not a eunuch, are you?"

"**YOU GODDAMN BASTARD I'LL RIP OFF YOUR LEGS AND MAKE YOU _EAT_ THEM!!! THEN I'LL CUT OFF YOUR STUPID HEAD, STICK IT ON A PIKE, AND FEED WHAT'S LEFT OF YOU TO THE _DOGS!!!_"**

"Um… Tohru?" Kagura said. "Shouldn't we stop them, or something?"

Tohru sighed and replied, "No, it's pretty much impossible when he and Inu-Yasha get like this…"

"That boy, Inu-Yasha, doesn't he remind you of someone?" Haru asked.

Yuki looked over the boy, and realized that he was not a boy at all. He was a demon, and one that looked a bit like Artemis with his golden eyes, clawed hands, and the pair of pointed white ears poking through his hair, though he was missing a tail. It was obvious, though, who was the superior demon.

First off, Artemis's attire was meticulously clean, and fairly refined, whereas Inu-Yasha's plain, wide-sleeved red coat smelled as if it hadn't been washed in days, and the hems of his baggy red pants were covered in dirt due to the fact that he was barefoot. Furthermore, Artemis, when he chose, spoke with a sophistication that Inu-Yasha seriously lacked.

"You know, he acts a lot like that stupid Cat. Kyo, you play with him," Yuki said.

"Shut up you damn Rat!" Kyo snarled. "I don't act like _that_. And don't order me around!"

"Millie's booored…" Millie sighed. "When are they gonna stop talking?"

"This _has_ dragged on for quite some time," Malacoda agreed. "They're both so _stubborn._"

"I know," Tohru said, "But the only one that could stop them is—"

"SIT BOY!" yelled a voice.

At this command, Inu-Yasha drove face-first into the ground with the speed of a bowling ball dropped from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and landed with a resounding crash, much like that of a bowling ball hitting dirt. This was because of the enchanted beads around his neck, which were spelled to do what they had just done at the words just spoken. The girl who had spoken them strode past the now prone demon to Artemis, who stood looking down at Inu-Yasha, quite unsurprised, with a self-satisfied smirk tugging at his mouth.

"Artemis!" the girl cried happily. "I haven't seen you in _forever!_"

"Hello Kagome," Artemis said with a nod of his head.

"And Ren!" Kagome gasped delightedly as Tohru and the others approached. "Oh wow, you're all here! Who're your new friends, though?"

"MILLIE!!!" shouted a new, rather squeaky, voice.

"SHIPPO!!!" Millie shouted back as a small ball of fur threw itself into her arms.

"Millie, you're back!" cried Shippo, wrapping his little arms around Millie's neck. Millie laughed and hugged him back. The Sohmas, for their part, had to take a double take on the newest arrival. Shippo was _tiny_, about the size of a fox. In fact, his tail was half as big as he was. Other than that, he looked like any other normal little boy with brown hair, green eyes, pointed ears, and fox feet.

"Millie really missed you, too!" Millie cried. "Let's go play!"

"Okay!"

"Don't go far, Millie!" Tohru called after them before turning to Kagome. "Where are Miroku and Sango?"

"Oh…" said Kagome, bringing a hand to her mouth thoughtfully. "You know, I haven't seen them since this morning. Sango went off to bathe, and then Miroku…"

She trailed off, and both girls looked at one another.

"He said he was going to look for firewood, but…"

"You… don't think he went to… _spy_ on Sango, do you?" Tohru asked.

"Do you have any doubt?" Kagome cried. "Gawd, that lecherous…! I think he _likes_ getting himself beaten within an inch of his life, otherwise you'd think he would've _learned_ by now."

"What is he, and _idiot_…?" Kyo muttered.

"I don't see what the problem is, it just means he likes her, right?" Val said.

"Of course not!" Kagome cried, aghast. "It's totally _sexist_!"

"Oh come on, Miroku's not all _that_ bad!" Val argued.

"Only you could say something like that…"

"Um… could you find them?" Tohru asked.

"Why? What's wrong?" Kagome said worriedly.

"I'll tell you when we're all here. Just find them, and quickly, please. I have to go back and close the door I left open, but I'll meet you at Kaede's, okay?"

"A…alright," Kagome replied.

"You guys go with her, I'll be there in a minute," Tohru said to the Sohmas, who nodded mutely and followed after Kagome. Tohru turned and ran back up the hill.

Val, however, put a hand on Hatori's arm and nodded to the group of injured that Kaede and a handful of girls were taking care of, saying quietly, "Let's see how good a doctor you really are."

Hatori shook her off gently and approached the group without a word, already pulling out medicines.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting me?!" Inu-Yasha yelled, but no one in particular seemed to be listening.

When Tohru walked into Kaede's hut, the first thing she saw was Miroku grasping Kagura's hands and staring deeply into her eyes. Kagura looked totally confused.

_Oh no…_Tohru thought.

"Uh, Miroku, I wouldn't—!" Tohru cried, but the inevitable words were already forming on his lips.

"My dear girl, would you please consider bearing my child?"

Silence. Then…

"I… I'm sorry…" Kagura said in a small, trembling voice, her cheeks blushing. **"My love is already promised to someone else!"** she cried as she punched him through the wall.

"No… problem…" Miroku choked out, a bloody, mangled heap on the ground.

"Serves you right, you perverted monk," Sango growled, stroking her two-tailed yellow and black cat. "Nice punch, by the way," she added to Kagura.

"Thank you!"

Kyo, Yuki, Haru, Kagome, and Inu-Yasha (he'd eventually stopped sulking and came to join everyone else) were utterly and completely speechless. Kaede, having stabilized the last of her patients, just shook her head and continued to quietly talk to Hatori. She was quite interested in his experience in modern-medicine, and her knowledge of medieval remedies intrigued the Dragon. Malacoda continued to drink his sake and smoke, watching the affair with an amused eye, while Akito looked irritated.

"Hey, Miroku!" Val said suddenly.

"Yes, my dear Valery?" Miroku asked, seating himself next to Hatori and pouring himself some sake.

"_I'll_ bear your child for you!" Val told him cheerfully. Everyone's jaws dropped, and Miroku choked and sprayed sake all over Inu-Yasha ("Hey!")

"Wh-what?!" Miroku gasped.

"I'll bear your child for you," Val repeated, pointing to herself.

"Y-you… will? But… the last time I asked you…" Miroku trailed off and shuddered.

"Well, I just changed my mind, then," Val said carelessly.

"Really?!" Miroku cried, a huge smile on his face and stars in his eyes.

"No," Val replied, smiling. Miroku and the others smacked their heads into the floor. "But I'll practice trying with you!"

"My… that's an _interesting_ offer…" Miroku said, grinning thoughtfully and stoking his chin, and then noticed the fiery aura of doom emanating from Sango and wisely changed his mind. "But I'll have to politely decline!" he said quickly. _Dammit…_

About then he spotted Tohru and after a brief, happy reunion, Inu-Yasha said impatiently, "Can we get on with this? Ren, what was so important you even had to have this brainless lecher here?"

"Oh…" Tohru said, her face falling, and she shifted uncomfortably. "Well… it's…"

"It's another Angel, isn't it?" Inu-Yasha said quietly. "It's the only reason you'd come here."

"Yeah…" Tohru replied, looking down. Inu-Yasha nodded, his expression becoming hard and determined. Kagome, though, shot a frightened look at the dog-demon, trembling slightly.

"Inu-Yasha… I…" she gasped. "I don't want you to fight again!"

"Kagome…" Inu-Yasha said firmly. "I swore then, if an Angel ever came here again, that what happened, that history, would _never_ repeat itself. I swear, Kagome, that this time, things will be _different_."

"What happened… last time?" Yuki asked. Inu-Yasha's eyes narrowed with fury and hatred, but mostly with shame. He shoved to his feet and walked out without a word. No one stopped him or spoke.

"When the Angel came here…" Tohru finally said hesitantly. "It had come for Kagome. She has the spiritual energy of a miko priestess, and if she were to become an Angel her power would be… immense. Greater than anything imaginable. I assumed the Angels were interested in claiming that power. We knew the Angel was here, what it wanted, so we proposed to set a trap, using Kagome as bait."

Tohru's voice took on a bitter note, filled with regret… and sorrow.

"But it was all a trap from the start, and we were all just pawns in their hands, dancing to _their_ tune. We knew Angels are telepathic, but what we didn't know was that the demons here, for some reason, are _very _susceptible to that telepathy. This Angel had been putting… ideas into the minds of the local demons for weeks. The day we set the trap, the Angel pulled the trigger… and set every demon on the village. When Sango and Miroku went to fight them… they met the Cages."

"Oh no…" Kagura whispered.

"So you know of them…" Miroku said. "If Ren and Artemis hadn't come just then… we would probably be dead."

"But at the time…" Tohru said. "We didn't know just how bad the situation really was. By then, the Angel had… gotten into Inu-Yasha's mind as well, and had been eating away at it for almost a month… tearing him down… little by little. I can only imagine what it had been doing, saying, and what it was doing to him."

"He… told me," Kagome whispered. "He told me… it had started with dreams. Disturbing dreams where I would… die somehow. At first it was just… me falling off a cliff, or being slashed by some faceless demon, or drowning… But it got worse, where he was the one that had pushed me over that cliff, he was the demon that ripped me apart, he was the one holding me under water.

"And then he said… he started hearing voices, even during the day, voices that would tell him to do awful things. Those voices turned into ideas. If he jumped, and was carrying me, he'd have the sudden urge to drop me, things like that.

"And then… that day… th-that day… when we w-were left a-alone…" Kagome's voice shook and died. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, swallowed, and continued.

"He snapped. He'd been fighting himself so much, and it had gotten to the point where he wouldn't even look at me, talk to me, could barely come near me… but he wouldn't tell me, and who could blame him? But I… suspected I knew. I was sure he was seeing… _Kikyo_…"

"Who?" Kyo asked.

"Don't interrupt," Yuki hissed. Kyo glared at him, but restrained himself from retorting.

"Kikyo…" Kagome went on. "Was the protector of a very powerful jewel called the Shikon Jewel of Four Souls, which can increase the powers of any demon who has it in his possession. And… and she was- _is_ also… Inu-Yasha's love."

She_ loves him, too, though… _Kagura thought with a surge of sympathy.

"But… fifty years ago a demon by the name of Naraku posed as Kikyo, and tried to kill Inu-Yasha in her form. Then he pretended to be Inu-Yasha, and hurt Kikyo. The real Inu-Yasha attacked the village and stole the Shikon Jewel, which he needed to become a full-fledged demon. But before that happened… Kikyo shot him with one of her arrows and pinned him to a tree, which would put him into an enchanted sleep for about fifty years, and then she died herself. But she was resurrected not long after I, somehow, awoke Inu-Yasha.

"Anyway… I was sure that the reason he was avoiding me that day was because he was secretly seeing Kikyo. I mean… it's not like he hadn't done it before, so it was a reasonable conclusion.

"So I got angry. I just… just started sc-screaming at him…"

_You Jerk! You two-timing bastard! _

"I cou-couldn't stop scr-screaming at him…"

_How long have you been sneaking off to see her, huh? _

"I a-accused h-him of… terr-terrible th-th-things… aw-awful things…"

_God, look at you. Just look at you, you can't even face me directly you're so pathetic. _

_stop… just stop… _

"But I… I was the one who was awful…"

_Goddammit, Inu-Yasha, I'm so sick of this! I'm sick of you always doing this to me! _

_kagome… kagome please… please…_

_You're just a stupid, selfish jerk! You don't care about me! About how _I_ feel!_

_please… please _stop_…_

_SHUT UP! You _never_ want to listen to _me…

"But I was stupid… and selfish… _I_ was the one who would never listen… to him."

_I hope we gather the Shikon Jewel fast, so I can go home and never see your damn face again!_

kagome… kagome…

_I… hate you! I HATE YOU! _

Kagome…

_I HATE _EVERYTHING!

Kagome…

"And then… the Angel appeared and… Inu-Yasha snapped. All at once he turned around and hit me, but I don't remember feeling any pain… but I remember the blood… all that blood… and then he was on top of me and had his hands around me neck and he… was giggling. It wasn't happy, more like… he was broken. He was smiling and at the same time… crying. And the Angel was above us… and then I woke up on a cot here, and Inu-Yasha was… in a coma next to me.

"Artemis… told me later that he'd heard me screaming and came back, saw what was happening, and killed the Angel. And when he killed it, Inu-Yasha passed out and… for a long time… he didn't wake up. He opened his eyes two weeks later, but… I don't think he's ever gotten over it. He was really upset that he'd attacked me, but I think he was even more upset that he couldn't _stop_ it, or do anything to save me… or himself."

"Not to mention the blow to his ego," Miroku added. "As you saw, he and Artemis don't exactly like each other, and back then they absolutely _hated_ one another. So it didn't do much for Inu-Yasha's pride, being saved by someone he despised. Furthermore, when he woke up, Ren and Artemis had already gone so Inu-Yasha had no means of getting back at the Angels, so all he _could_ do was to vow to get even. But we never saw them, or you, again until today… so we never did know what happened after you left."

"I'm sorry…" Tohru apologized. "I truly am. When the Angels were finally defeated, my memories were erased and I was returned home, until the Angels started to return, that is. But Inu-Yasha's right. Last time we were caught off guard, and the Angel had had _weeks_ to prepare. Last time, we'd had to track them through the universes, but now with our informants, we'll know exactly when an Angel steps—"

"Yo, Kagome, ya there?!" called a voice from outside.

"And speaking of informants…" Artemis said, rising. "I think there's one here now."

Kyo, along with everyone else, got up and followed Artemis outside. There, Kyo found Inu-Yasha arguing loudly with another young man with very long, silky black hair in a high ponytail and a furry brown headband, which kept most of his hair out of his blue-green eyes. He wore wolf-fur shoulder pads, a sort of metal bodice, a wolf-fur miniskirt, complete with tail, wolf-fur leggings, wristband, and gauntlet. Like Inu-Yasha, he was barefoot, but at least he didn't have animal ears on the top of his head; his ears were pointed, though.

Kyo took in this get-up for a few silent moments, blinked, and decided it was better not to comment.

"Ah, Koga," Malacoda said, sweeping over to the man… woman…? Kyo settled on demon, and taking Koga's hands in his own.

"Still dressing like a schoolgirl, are you?" he said, smiling at Koga in a very promiscuous manner.

"Don't touch me, you fag!" Koga yelled, grasping Malacoda's wrist and flinging him about twenty feet in the air. Malacoda flew up, his smile never faltering, and landed lightly on his feet as if nothing had happened.

"And oh so feisty!" Val said, wrapping her arms around Koga's neck and putting her leg on his thigh. "I like that in my transvestites!"

"Uhhh…" Koga said, trying to squirm out of her embrace, and trying to figure out what on earth a transvestite was. "Hello Val. Would you get off me…?" Valery sighed and let go.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot the only woman you can see is _Kagome_. But…" she added with a sly, seductive smile and whispered in his ear, "Until you guys are an item… you can always come to me if you want to practice being a _boyfriend_."

Koga immediately shoved her away, stammering angrily, "Look you perverted little fox-bitch, Kagome is my _woman_ and the last thing I'm going to do is _cheat_ on her!!!"

"Awww, you're blushing!" Val giggled.

"AM NOT!"

"But, look, you're red all the way up to your ears!"

"What have I told you about calling her 'your woman'??!" Inu-Yasha screamed. "She's not your property!"

"Well, what other choice does she have? A wishy-washy, two-timing mutt like you? Don't make me laugh!"

"Well, they're at it again…" Miroku sighed.

"This happens often?" Hatori asked.

"Well… yes, whenever Koga decides to show up. I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name," Miroku said.

"Hatori Sohma. And you are Miroku, correct?"

"Correct. Oh, excuse me a moment. Kagome? Time is against us, do you think you could…?"

"Yeah, this is just getting ridiculous…" Kagome agreed, looking quite used to this.

"When was it not ridiculous?" Yuki murmured.

"Hey, Inu-Yasha… sit."

Inu-Yasha obliged with a thunderous whump! and a yell of, "AUUGH!" followed by, "Dammit, what the hell was _that_ for?!"

"Sorry," Kagome said ruefully. "But we need to get going."

"Koga," Tohru said, walking up to the demon.

"Ren!" Koga grinned in surprise. "Long time, no see."

"You, too," Tohru smiled back. "You have your compass, right? May I see it?"

"Yeah," Koga replied, pulling out a palm-sized silver compass on a thin chain from a hidden pocket on one of his leg guards and held it out to Tohru. She took it in her hands and nodded.

"Yeah, it's an Angel. Definitely."

"Ummm…" said Kagura. "How can a compass…?"

"Oh!" said Tohru, seeing the Sohmas' confused looks. "Sorry. Angels disrupt EM, electro-magnetic, fields. So whenever an Angel's around, compasses go haywire. The last time we were here, I gave a compass each to Koga, Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and one other demon. They're all on the road mostly, so there's a good chance if an Angel comes into this universe, they'll know. Also, their compasses…" Tohru pulled out a golden compass that was about twice the size of Koga's from her pocket and held it up. "…are connected to mine through a sort of… wormhole effect. Meaning if any of _their_ compasses indicate an Angel, _mine_ will be, too, no matter what universe I'm in."

"Whoa…"Yuki breathed. "That must have taken… a serious amount of power to accomplish."

"You have no idea," Tohru replied with an emphatic nod, and focused back on Koga's compass. "Wow, Koga, you must have been really close, the needles still kinda jerky."

"It flew over our cave," Koga said, and Tohru looked slightly alarmed.

"It didn't attack, did it?" she asked anxiously.

"No, we stayed out of sight until it was gone. I don't think it saw us," Koga answered.

"I doubt that," Artemis said. "Angels don't particularly need eyes to see. It knew you were there, it just decided you weren't worth it."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?!" Koga demanded. Artemis opened his mouth to make some cutting response, but Tohru clapped a hand over his mouth and pressed her foot down on his toes.

"Don't mind him, he didn't mean anything by it," she assured Koga. "And we really need to get going, now. Kaede, we need to borrow some horses, please."

"Ay, miss," Kaede replied. "But…"

"But what?" Tohru asked.

"There be not enough horses for all of ye, I'm afraid…"

"How many do you have at the moment?" Artemis asked.

"Six, methinks…"

"That's fine," Artemis said, and without a word grabbed Tohru's wrist, pulled her in close, and kissed her before either Yuki or Kyo could stop him.

"How _dare_ you do that to Honda-san?" Yuki snarled furiously at the wolf now standing before him, next to a shell-shocked Tohru.

"Yeah, you can't just go and do things like that without even asking!!!" Kyo shouted, enraged. Artemis turned a cold eye on him.

"Last time I checked, I didn't need your permission to kiss her," he said icily.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!!" Kyo shrieked. "ASK _HER_ BEFORE YOU TAKE LIBERTIES!!!"

Artemis turned away to hide the lie, snorting. "It's not as if I have any feelings for her, so what do you care?"

"**THAT'S EVEN WORSE!!!"** Kyo and Yuki thundered, ready to tear into Artemis, but Tohru inserted herself between them.

"Come on, you guys," she stammered. "It's okay… But I really wish you'd _warn _me before you do that," she added in annoyance and exasperation.

"Miroku and I will ride Kilala, so we're good," Sango said as her cat was engulfed in flames and transformed into what looked like a giant saber-toothed tiger about Artemis's size at the moment.

"And I'll carry Kagome," Inu-Yasha said.

"Let's go, Tohru," Artemis said shortly.

"Tohru…?" Inu-Yasha repeated, looking questioningly at her.

"Oh yeah… For future references my name's not Ren anymore, it's Tohru now. Uh… it's a long story. I'll explain as we go. Millie! Shippo! We're leaving!"

Fifteen minutes later Kyo found himself, once again, on a horse.

_God, I hate horses…_ he thought angrily while trying to get comfortable, an impossible feat to be sure, as he was constantly being bounced and jostled about in his seat. And it did not help that he wasn't the best of riders. He glanced over at Yuki and was delighted to see he was having just as much trouble, if not more so. _I hope he falls off,_ Kyo thought with a malicious snicker. Yuki, as if he'd read Kyo's mind, glanced over and scowled at the Cat, who just scowled right back. Neither of them could glare at one another for long, though, if they wanted to concentrate on riding.

Suddenly, Tohru, riding Artemis near the front, put her fist up signaling a halt. They slowed, and Kyo's stomach jumped as Tohru reached up and put a hand on one of her axes. Inu-Yasha put a hand on the hilt of his sword as Sango, hovering above them upon Kilala, adjusted the giant boomerang on her back, and Miroku fingered the prayer beads around his left wrist. As Kilala landed, Kagome pulled out her bow and Koga cracked his knuckles.

Yuki dismounted, and Kyo and the other Sohmas followed suit. Tohru slid off Artemis's back and made her way over to Kyo's horse to whisper something in its ear.

"Go on, now," she said, smiling warmly. The horse butted her gently and then it, and the other horses, trotted away.

"It may get dangerous, and I don't want innocent creatures getting hurt," Tohru explained. "They'll be back when it's over."

"Is it close?" Artemis asked. Tohru nodded, and held up the compass for him to see: the needle was spinning so fast it made the compass shake.

"Yeah…" Tohru said. "It's close."

"_No…_" Millie whispered hoarsely, her eyes staring upward in terror. "_It's already here…_"

Yuki's eyes snapped towards the sky and, for just a moment, caught a glimpse of a small shining figure floating above them on wings of feathered light. But…

_But its face…_ whispered a small, horrified voice in his head. _There's something wrong with its _face_…_

And then he jerked in surprise as something exploded in his ears and he was engulfed in gray smoke, the world lurched unpleasantly, and then went dark as everyone began to yell and shout at once. At first, Yuki couldn't figure out what happened as he struggled out from under his shirt and the ground rumbled beneath his feet.

"Y-Yuki…?" gasped Tohru's voice from somewhere above him. Yuki looked up in surprise, and was bewildered to find that Tohru was _much_ bigger than he was.

"I… transformed?"

"REN, MOVE!" Artemis shouted, an edge of fear in his voice. Yuki let out a cry as Artemis struck down a few inches from him, and then he and she were gone.

"_NOOO, ARTEMIS, YUKI'S_—!!!" Tohru shrieked in panic.

"Honda-san—!" Yuki cried, scurrying after them—

And small cold fingers wrapped themselves around his body, lifting him gently, and Yuki looked up into the missing face of a child. The Rat's mind went numb as he tried to understand what he was staring at.

She has no face… 

-hello yuki- said a little girl's voice in his mind. -do you want to play with me-

Where her eyes, nose, and mouth should have been, there was only a smooth, unbroken mask of flesh as if carved from stone.

-i want to be your friend yuki- whispered the voice.

Yuki couldn't stop shaking. Her voice permeated throughout his mind, echoed in the darkest corners, illuminating flashes of memories he wanted to stay forgotten. She knew what he wanted, what he feared, what he hated, what he loved, and all his darkest, or most precious secrets.

-lets be friends yuki-

She took his paw between her thumb and forefinger, rubbing gently as she started to pull. She didn't stop pulling, not even when Yuki started to scream as, one by one, tiny bones snapped.

"**STOPPIT, YOU BITCH!!!"**

Yuki saw a flash of orange, something smashed into him, and then the voice let out a terrible screeching cry and dropped him. Yuki landed in something soft and just barely managed to make out the blurry figure of Kyo. He was shouting something, but Yuki couldn't understand what he was saying because there was a jagged agony in his shoulder and his arm wouldn't work, and then the world spun away from him and all he could hear was that stupid Cat, screaming at him from far away before the darkness came down over his eyes and everything was gone…

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

**Miko: priestess**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha or Fruits Basket, to those of you who haven't been listening for the last thirty one chapters.**

Yeah... to you people still confused about the whole Angel/demon thingy, don't worry. It _is_ intricate, and even confuses me sometimes... Anyway, here's a crash course in subconscious transmutation to help you better understand the complex working of my thoughts!

First, there is You. In You resides three fundamental psyches that make up You.

One is the Id, the part of the personality that wants, wants, wants, and wants it _now_. It is the familiar, Rahallion in Tohru's case. It is the subconscious self- the Unconscience.

The second part is the Ego, the part of the brain that rationalizes and calculates. This is the Angel part. Angels are cold, rational thinkers with no emotion and no desire. They are the Mind.

The last part is the Superego, in this story termed the Companion, the human part, obviously. It is the most emtional of the three, and with good reason as it is the Soul.

When You are _released_, only the Id and the Superego are separated. You become a Companion, and your Id becomes a familiar. But upon _focus_ the Ego, binding You to your familiar, becomes an Angel and your familiar a demon.

All ties between you and your unconscious self have been cut at this point. Where you would have felt the pain had your familiar been hurt, you are now individual entities. Most Angels are the ones that end up with the Superego, and thus still have a soul and thus some reservations about slaughter. Demons, on the other hand, have no such reservations, and usually do what ever the hell they feel like doing, which is usually something violent and horrible.

Of course, it's another story if your demon gets a hold of that soul, as you've seen with Artemis.

Anyway, I hope that clarifies things a bit.

Now, on to my drivel!

Yes, another chapter finished! I've been working on this one all week, but I've been so busy with that damned high school thing, and finals are coming up, that I didn't have time to finish it sooner. But just you wait, once Christmas break rolls around…

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I really liked it, but maybe just for the fact that the last one was SO hard to write! I mean, last chapter took me _forever_, didn't it? That's because I only had a vague idea about Ren's history, and interlacing it so it intertwined with Fruits Basket took some thinking. And Jagorah's a fairly recent character; I only made him up like a few months ago! But already I really like him, so I hope to do more with him. But compared to all that, this chapter was easy, and fun to do, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

And about going into other animes and such, I obviously can't go into those I don't know, but I know of quite a few so there'll be _lots_ of traveling around. If you want me to cross over into a specific one, just tell me, and I'll stick it in somewhere. I'm not going to tell you where I'll go, though, because, frankly, I really don't know myself. It depends on what mood I'm in, but I promise I'll eventually get to most, if not all, of the ones suggested.

And to nono, YES INU-YASHA IS THE GREATEST THERE IS!!!! Well, my opinion may be biased as it was the very first manga/anime I'd ever seen (and actually liked). It's what got me started on all that in the first place. Before I rather hated Japanese animation because of being exposed to Akira and Ghost In The Shell a little too early. Course, I like them now, but back then… let's just say I was temporarily scared for life. I mean, in GITS she was naked like _the entire movie_, and I, for some reason, thought that was a _bad_ thing. Well, after seeing Chobits, I wonder how on earth I could have thought that…

Well, that's all for now.

-Raha-


	33. It Was Fate

**Tohru's Demons **

**Chapter Thirty-Three: It Was Fate**

* * *

There was something disturbing about the Angel that did not step through a window from another sky but materialized out of nothing as if she were there all along. Something other than the fact that she looked like a winged child dressed for a christening holding a small white crossbow in her small babyish hands, or that the white braids hanging below her ears framed a face that wasn't there. Perhaps what Kyo didn't quite like was that she had no presence he could sense, not even when he was staring straight at her, as if she simply did not exist at all. But it was more likely because the moment he set eyes on her he suddenly felt vulnerable. Not physically, of course, but it was as if she was a destructive child and his mind was an open toy chest…

Kyo shook his head in disgust at himself, glaring up at the Angel. He was not about to be intimidated by some brat and her playthings, and definitely _not_ when that brat looked like she was dressed for a Christmas play. To be sure, he'd seen _far_ worse.

-youve looked worse- a small, strange voice giggled in his head, making his guts twist themselves into tiny knots. And then he jumped as a barrage of explosions bombarded his eardrums and he was engulfed in a thick fog of smoke. Coughing, he staggered back into a stunned Haru.

"Hey…" Kyo said in surprise, steadying himself against Haru's large black and white bovine body. "You transformed… But how…?"

"REN, MOVE!" Artemis suddenly shouted frantically, pushing past Kyo to seize a stunned Tohru by the waist and leap out of the way as a crossbow bolt buried itself in the ground where Tohru had been standing just a few seconds before.

"_NOOO, ARTEMIS, YUKI'S—_!!!" Tohru screamed. Kyo jerked back with a surprised cry when the Angel was abruptly at his side, crouching down in the grass to pick up something small and gray, and, for a moment, the world ground to a halt as his body went numb with the realization that the something was _Yuki_. And then the agonized cries began, cries that rapidly turned to a high pitched screaming as the Angel slowly pulled Yuki's limb from its socket.

Those screams pounded at Kyo's ears, and were drowned out by the screaming in Kyo's own head… the outraged screaming pain of a small red-haired, red-eyed boy warring against his own fate… _driving him crazy…_

_It's his fault! It's all his fault my life is cursed! The Rat's dirty and sneaky and if it hadn't tricked the Cat, none of this would have happened!_

_It's his fault my life was worthless the day I was born! It's his fault everything I do is useless!!!_

_It's his fault for everything!!!_

_I hate him!!!_

_I hate him, and I'll kill him!!!_

_I'LL KILL HIM AND THEN I'LL KILL MY SELF!!!_

_IF I'M DEAD YOU'LL BE SATISFIED, RIGHT?!_

_**YOU'LL BE SATISFIED THEN, RIGHT??!**_

-yes-

Kyo snapped back to reality and stared into the Angel's missing face, and in his mind's eye could see her smiling up at him with the sort of meaningless cruelty only children possessed.

-here- said the Angel, holding Yuki's limp form out to Kyo. –do you want to play too-

Something cold and dark settled in Kyo's mind. More than once he had imagined squishing that little rodent, pulling him apart limb by limb as she was doing, and just relishing in his pain…

-look its easy-

More than anything he had wished Yuki dead… Had imagined him dying thousands of different ways, over and over and over…

-come play with us kyo-

It was his fault! It was _his_ fault! It was _his_ fault Kyo's life had ended the day he was born, _his_ fault the Cat was ostracized and despised and hurt, _his_ fault Kyo was an outcast and a criminal for something he had no control over!

-come on kyo-

"_Come on, Kyo!" called Tohru as she stretched out her hand for him…_

But then… If Kyo could not help being born the Cat… that meant Yuki could not help being born the Rat…

-come on kyo-

…Wasn't it his fault…?

-come on kyo-

"**STOPPIT, YOU BITCH!!!" **

And Kyo could feel something breaking deep within the dark recesses of his mind as he slapped Yuki out of the Angel's hand, catching his small body before it hit the ground.

"Wake up, damn you!" Kyo snarled at the frighteningly lifeless body. Yuki slowly opened his eyes and stared uncomprehendingly up at him, trying to say something, before his lids closed again.

"Damn Rat, it's only your stupid arm! Don't pass out just because of that!" Kyo shouted angrily.

-give it back i want my toy give it back to me now- wailed the Angel's voice in his mind in an angry fit of temper as she grabbed for Yuki, her small hands clutching at his body possessively.

"GET AWAY!" Kyo roared, throwing her off and running, clasping Yuki to his chest.

"Kyo, this way!" called Tohru and Kyo skidded to a halt beside her.

"Here, take him," Kyo said, putting Yuki in her hands. "I'm going to kill that thing…!"

"Wait," Artemis said, putting a restraining hand on Kyo's chest as he moved towards the Angel. "I want you to stay here and protect Tohru and your cousins, as they seem incapable of combat at the moment." At this Artemis eyed the other Sohmas pointedly. It was then Kyo realized all of them, excluding Akito, had transformed.

"But… what happened? Nobody was hugged," Kyo protested, staring from one person, or animal, to the next in bewilderment. They stared back at him with much the same manner.

"We don't know," Hatori said from a tin cup of water Tohru had dropped him in. "I think it was something to do with the Angel."

"But why didn't I transform, then?" Kyo demanded. "It even touched me!"

"Can we ask questions later?!" Inu-Yasha snarled urgently.

"Right," said Artemis. "Kagome, Valery, I request that you stay with Kyo. Sango, Miroku, I need you to play decoys. Inu-Yasha, Koga, and Malacoda will assist me on offense. Questions? No? Then move!"

"No!" Kyo objected angrily. "I want to fight—!"

"You stay here with Kagome and watch Tohru's back! That's an order!" Artemis barked without a second glance at the boy as he leapt away, the other demons just a step behind.

"But…!" Kyo said furiously, and stopped short when he felt Tohru's hand on his arm.

"Kyo…" she whimpered, her voice small and shaking. "Please, help, it's… it's Yuki, he's…"

Kyo's eyes fell on Yuki in confusion, and knew immediately what was wrong. Perhaps it was the shock of having his arm almost ripped off, or maybe it was because the Angel had stopped just short of crushing his ribcage in her iron-like grip, but, whatever the reason, something had set off the weak bronchial tubes in his throat.

Yuki was having a massive respiratory attack, his breath coming in short ragged gasps, and Kyo was caught completely unawares when a strange feeling settled in his chest. Just a moment ago, perhaps it had been the influence of the Angel, he had wanted nothing more than the death of his most hated adversary, but now, watching Yuki fight to breathe, he dreaded it. He then recognized the feeling squeezing at his heart as helplessness that he could do nothing at all but watch, and wait, and hope Yuki could survive…

…

Hiro and Kisa settled themselves back on the couch and Hiro picked up the remote and pressed Play.

_They found_ Artemis standing before the glass sphere, his head bowed and his eyes hidden beneath his bangs. He appeared to have found a set of clothes, though they were several sizes too large. The white button up shirt draped loosely from his shoulders, and his pants were so big he had to roll them up to his knees.

Tohru was motionless; her head slumped forward on her chest. Artemis did not move either for a long time, but he was shaking and his fists were clenched at his sides. And then suddenly his head snapped up, his eyes blazing rage, and he leapt into the sphere to stand just below Tohru and seized her by the front of her shirt, and screamed at the top of his lungs straight in her face, **"WHAT-THE-HELL-DID-YOU-DO-TO-ME????!?!!!?!?"**

Much to his chagrin, Tohru gave no sign she had heard him. Artemis let out a stream of furious curse words under his breath, wrapped his arms around her waist and wrenched her down, snapping the wires holding her up. His arms still clamped around her middle, he jumped to the floor, where he unceremoniously dumped her.

Tohru stirred faintly and opened her eyes.

"S-something…" she muttered hoarsely.

"**GET UP." **Artemis intoned dangerously, looming over her with an aura of doom.

"Something… Wh-what _was_ it…?" Tohru murmured, pushing herself to her knees, shaking uncontrollably, and utterly ignoring the demon. At this, Artemis once again grabbed her front and jerked her up.

"**WHAT. DID. YOU. DO. TO. ME?"** He bit out in a strained voice through clenched teeth.

"Huh…?" Tohru asked, staring at him in bewilderment. Artemis let her go and waved a hand at his body.

"**THIS, YOU STUPID, SNOT-NOSED BRAT!!! LOOK AT ME!!!"**

Tohru looked at him.

"Ummm…" she said confusedly, unsure of what she was supposed to be looking for.

"**I'M TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OLD, YOU IDIOT!!!"** Artemis exploded. **"I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE A TEN-YEAR-OLD!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO????!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!!?"**

"I…! I don't know…!" Tohru cried desperately, cringing away from him. "Who are you?"

Artemis stared at her for a moment, his dilated eyes wide and white with fury, and his chest heaved as he panted for breath. Then he stepped back and closed his eyes and attempted to relax a little. Then his eyes snapped open again and gave Tohru the iciest of glares, and she braced herself for another screaming tirade.

"Are you telling me…" Artemis said in a very quiet voice that was somehow much more frightening than any amount of yelling would have been. "That you don't know anything about what happened?"

"Y-yes…" Tohru gasped. "I… I can't … remember anything. Not anything. It's… it's just gone, I can't remember my name…"

She stopped. _I don't know my name… _the thought drifted through her mind and lodged itself in deep. And with it she found the yawning hole in her mind, just beneath her thoughts into which all memories of her self had fallen.

"Alright, alright," Artemis was saying. "It's no reason to have a meltdown."

"But who am I?" Tohru cried, her voice taking on a hysterical edge.

"Who cares?" Artemis replied scathingly. Tohru looked at him for a moment, blinking back tears, and then dropped her eyes to the ground, her thin frame shaking.

"Damn it, don't cry!" Artemis burst out, a look of panic in his eyes. Tohru's head snapped up, her blue eyes burning fury and bright with unshed tears.

"I'll cry if I want to!" she shouted at him angrily, squaring her shoulders with her fists straight at her sides and her feet spread. Artemis actually almost took a small step back, but caught himself and stepped forward instead, trying to glare her down and intimidate her with size. Once he'd done this, however, he realized it was a mistake. Tohru was about an inch taller than he was. For a moment he'd forgotten he was no longer in his twenty-eight year old body, but in the body of a scrawny, and rather short, ten-year-old.

Artemis's scowl deepened considerably. He opened his mouth, about to lash out with some vicious retort, and then froze. His wolf ears twitched, listening, and caught Tohru's attention. She stared at them in dumbfounded bewilderment for a few tense seconds, watching them flip back and forth, her eyes trying to tell her brain what they were, but her brain seemed incapable of comprehending, so it just told her eyes that they were seeing things that simply were not there. But her eyes persisted, insisting that they were right, and eventually, her brain finally got it and reluctantly agreed.

But she had to make sure, anyway. Without a moment's hesitation, she reached up, grasped both ears in her fingers and gave them a good yank.

"OUCH!" Artemis cried, more in indignant outrage than in actual pain, and clapped his hands over his ears. "Don't touch them!"

Tohru barely heard him. She'd just noticed that his fingernails were sharp like claws.

"Sorry…" she muttered half-consciously as she reached out and touched one of his hands. Artemis snatched it away and retreated.

"Quit touching me, damn it!" he snarled, the blood rushing to his cheeks, his ears flattened against his skull.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it…!" Tohru replied, her eyes wide. "Are… are they real?" she asked, breathlessly. Artemis let out a snort.

"Of course, idiot," he answered, more unsettled than annoyed. "What, did you think I had time to glue them on before you summoned me here?"

A look of confusion passed over Tohru's face, and she opened her mouth to ask what he was talking about, but at that moment precisely he suddenly grabbed her and threw her bodily and unceremoniously into a dark corner behind the strange machine, in which Tohru had been released.

"What are you—?!" Tohru started angrily, but Artemis clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Be quiet, someone's coming," he murmured. Tohru stopped trying to shake him off and paused to listen, and after a few seconds, she heard footsteps approaching. Her first instinct was to bite Artemis's hand and shout for help, but something written on the side of the machine caught her eye.

It read:

**The Hellena Device**

For whatever reason Tohru couldn't fathom, the sight of those words made her skin crawl and her stomach twists itself into myriad of hard knots.

Tohru stayed very still and quiet, waiting breathlessly as the footsteps approached, passed, and faded away. Artemis relaxed his grip and stood up, pulling Tohru up with him.

Then he thrust his hand down the front of her shirt.

Tohru let out a yelp, and shrieked, "JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" before she slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

"OUCH! No, I was just looking for your identification!" Artemis cried as she raised her hand to hit him again.

"Well you didn't have to reach down my shirt, you could've told me, you sick pervert!"

"Excuse me?!" Artemis snarled. "Tell me how I can be a pervert when there's nothing down there to feel up in the first place?!"

Tohru glared daggers at him, but chose not to respond. Instead, she reached into her shirt and pulled out a small metal dog tag on a chain around her neck, on which the words "REN PTOLEMY, #34586, RAHALLION" were imprinted.

"What is this…?" Tohru murmured, more to herself than to Artemis.

"What, can't you read?" he replied derisively.

"I can read!" Tohru snapped back. "But what does it mean?"

Artemis took the tags in his hand and looked them over briefly. "The first two words make up your name," he said. "The number is your identification number, and also delineates you as the 34,586th Companion, and the last word is the name of your familiar."

Tohru, or rather Ren at this point, stared blankly at Artemis in utter confusion.

"What?" she asked. Artemis sighed in aggravation.

"Look, I don't have time to explain all that to a brat. Now I need to get out of here, and you're going to help me."

"What?!" Ren yelped.

"The Angels will figure out what happened sooner or later and will be coming to investigate, and I don't want to be here when they come. Neither do you, for that matter. Particularly," Artemis's eyes looked over her shoulder at something, "when there's blood everywhere."

"Blood…?" Ren asked, turning to see what he was talking about, and then saw, quite clearly, what.

"What did you do?" she asked, her voice suddenly strained and hushed.

"When you summoned me, I used the transmutation spell those two men used to create your familiar to deconstruct their bodies and reconstruct them into my body. What I didn't need," Artemis cast another brief glance at the sea of blood, "I discarded. I'd explain the physics of it, but we're running out of time, and I doubt you'd understand anyway."

Ren gazed at the demon with a mixture of shock and horror. Her eyes glanced back at the dark mess—there were chunks of what looked like pinkish globs, undoubtedly bits of flesh, swimming half-submerged in the pool—and felt like she was going to be sick.

A monster of revulsion and loathing and guilt was stirring in her stomach and began to howl as it attempted to claw its way to her heart. She forced it back and chained it down and kept a tight grip on its scruff, because if it got loose it would tear her apart. It raged and thrashed but she held on tighter and ignored it.

But she could not ignore its bloodthirsty wails that reverberated through her mind.

"…_It's your fault… it's your fault… _You _summoned the demon, if he kills it's all your fault…"_

Suddenly, something entirely different, but not unfamiliar, awoke in her mind and the kicking monster in her gut hunkered down at once and shut up, only occasionally whimpering fearfully to itself in the dark.

**Are you just going to stand there like an idiot, or are you going to let me out of this damned cage?** a sharp voice demanded clearly.

"What?" Ren gasped, and looked about in surprise.

"I'm not repeating myself," Artemis snapped. "We're leaving now."

"No, wait… I heard a voice."

Artemis lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "I didn't."

**Fool. Of course you didn't,** the voice snorted scathingly.

"Don't tell me you didn't hear that," Ren said.

**No, he didn't. Now will you please hurry up and let me out?** the voice continued with an edge of eager urgency, drowning out whatever reply Artemis had given. Ren was beginning to panic as she stared about in confusion, and wondered if she was going crazy.

**Dammit…** the voice muttered, and then a shrill whistling cry rent the air. Artemis's ears perked forward and he whirled towards the Hellena Device.

"Oh…" he murmured, and then looked back at Ren with a strange, unreadable expression. "…You can understand your familiar."

_Hiro and Kisa's eyes widened as they realized what Artemis had just said, and they glanced at one another wordlessly, realizing who had been the third speaker._

"Wha…?" Ren started, but Artemis waved her off.

"Get him out," he said, indicating the Hellena Device with a vague gesture. "And hurry, we're running out of time."

Ren hesitated in confusion and then haltingly made her way towards the Hellena Device, unsure of what she was expected to do.

And then she saw it. A small glass cage set with steel bars set in the middle of a large, intricate design etched into the floor below the shattered glass sphere, and within it… a pair of blood red eyes glinted out at her from the dark.

Ren, half-knelt by the cage, froze at the sight of those eyes and immediately felt like she was drowning, she couldn't breathe…

**Hurry,** hissed the voice. **Hurry, hurry, _hurry_… let me out… LET ME OUT OF HERE…**

Ren trembled. Her fingers were mere inches from the latch, but she didn't open the door. For a brief moment she felt as if she were teetering on the brink of a huge chasm, and if she opened that door… it would swallow her whole.

"HURRY UP!!!!" Artemis bellowed.

**And quit panicking, stupid!** the voice added snappishly. **It's not a chasm, it's just the gaping void in your mind where your subconscious used to be.**

"My subconscious…?"

**That's me. Now, OPEN THE FRIGGIN' DOOR AND LET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!!**

Ren jumped from the force that voice carried, and without any more delay, wrenched the door open. The thing inside surged forward, a monster of claws and teeth and glowing red eyes, and—

Collapsed into her lap.

Slowly, Ren's wide, fearful eyes softened to those of pity as she put her hands on the creature's back and ran her fingers over his sunken eyes, along his feathered wings, the ridges of his spine, his protruding ribs and pelvis…

Ren's mind was clouding over with fury. If what he said was true, then this creature was a part of her. And they were starving him…

_How dare they treat a defenseless creature like that?_ Ren thought indignantly. Not to mention that he was hers.

**Don't look too much into this…** the creature informed her icily, but he did not object to her caress. Though, he may have been to emaciated and weak to do much about it anyway. **Now, let me formally introduce myself. The name's Raha. I am not a "creature", I'm your familiar, and I don't like being touched there. Remove your hand or I'll remove it for you.**

Ren quickly snatched her hand back from his flank.

"S-sorry…" she stammered. "I didn't mean to be rude… B-but I never called you a…"

**I can read your thoughts. I am part of your mind, after all.**

"Will you stop playing with it so we can go?!" Artemis demanded furiously.

**Pick me up.** Raha ordered flatly. **The fool's right. We need to get moving.**

Ren gingerly picked up her familiar and hurried over the Artemis, in somewhat of a daze.

"Stay close, we're going to make a run for it," Artemis murmured, cracking open the door and glancing right and left down the hall. And then—

"Let's go!" he yelled, seized her hand, and they tore out into the hall at full speed, their bare feet hitting the cold tiled floor.

Almost at once, they rounded a corner and practically slammed into two armored men. They whipped about, the muzzles of their guns coming up to point at Artemis's chest, and he shoved Ren to the floor, and—

Suddenly he was not there anymore. The men jerked back, looking about in alarm and confusion, but failed to see the demon in time as he tore down at them from above and smashed his elbow into one man's head, snapping his spinal chord. Artemis's foot went through the other man's teeth into his mouth. The man fell backwards with a strangled, gurgling cry as blood ran down his chin.

Artemis grabbed the man's gun and yanked off his gun belt, making sure the weapon was loaded, cocked, and that there were extra magazines.

"Get up," he ordered, shifting the gun to his shoulder and grabbing Ren's wrist with his free hand and all but jerked her to her feet, which she'd just barely gained before they dashed past the two men lying prone on the floor. The monster of guilt and repulsion began to stand up again as the men's eyes, glazed over with pain, flashed past her vision, and it opened its jaws to feed…

**There's no time for your sentimentality!** Raha snarled, and the monster sank back down with a reluctant grumble. It was _hungry_, but it would wait.

An alarm sounded. Its long, keening wail rose and fell like that of some tormented animal, and Ren could hear running footsteps in the floor above them.

"Damn…!" Artemis cursed, glancing up at the ceiling. "I'd hoped we would have more time!"

"Where are we going?" Ren cried over the resounding noise of the alarm.

"You'll see!" Artemis shouted. "Just keep running!"

Ren kept running; she had no choice. Artemis took her down corridors, around corners, up stairs. Several times, they heard footsteps ahead and Artemis backtracked, and once they crouched in the shadow of a doorway while a troop of armored men rushed past.

Finally, they came to a large steel door that Artemis could only force open just enough to allow Ren and himself to slip through before it slammed shut once more. The second Ren stepped through the door she was struck by a powerful blast of wind and reeled back into Artemis.

"Careful," he said, shoving her back on her feet. Ren barely heard him as she stared about in incredulous awe. They were outside on a narrow stairway that wound up what appeared to be a cliff, and below them, a few feet from her toes, there was nothing but sky and clouds.

Artemis gave her a small push and she moved ahead of him up the stairs, staying very close to the wall, her eyes on her feet. And then the stairs ended and she looked up.

The place was enormous, so much that no less than ten cathedrals could have stood comfortably in the center. It was circular, with no walls or ceiling, just four gigantic stone pillars set facing all directions, north, south, east, and west. A stone ring ran across the tops of the pillars, connecting them.

And strewn across the floor was every flying device know to man: towering zeppelins, hot air balloons, planes, even a few crude helicopters, and several strange winged metal devices Ren could not begin to understand.

But the most incredible things of all were the clouds. They moved slowly and gently over, around, under, and through the platform Ren was standing on, and all around them the vast expanse of deep azure stretched out in every direction. This place, Ren realized, was floating.

"What is this…?" Ren whispered.

"It's the hangar," Artemis replied with a shrug as he made his way towards one of the strange metal contraptions, the one with the cannon on top.

"That's not what I meant," Ren said, a little exasperatedly. "Where are we? Where is this?"

"Look I don't have time for—" Artemis was replying snappishly, and then stopped, his body stiffening. And then something quite unexpected happened. Artemis wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her close, and then she felt something cold press against her temple, and realized with a jolt it was the muzzle of Artemis's gun.

"Don't come any closer!" Artemis roared.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ren cried, her voice shrill with fear. She could see blood in her mind's eye, and the faces of those two armored men lying breathless in the brightly lit hallway. Artemis ignored her.

"I mean it!" he shouted, his voice fierce and furious. "Any closer and I'll blow her brains across the floor, I swear to the Angel of Death I will!"

It was then Ren noticed the figures standing in the shadow of the towering pillars, their faces obscured. They had Artemis and her surrounded.

_But wait…_ Ren thought, her mind a maelstrom of erratic bewilderment. _There's something wrong with them… They can't… they can't possibly be _human_…_

**Not anymore,** Raha said quietly, his statement accompanied by a tide of fury and disgust.

"I'm warning you!" Artemis barked dangerously. "Get out, or she dies right here!"

The figures hesitated and then, slowly, began to step forward. Ren opened her mouth in surprise and it felt like her heart was thudding in her throat.

"This girl can speak with her familiar!" Artemis shouted. The figures stopped in their tracks, just beyond the light, and glanced uneasily at one another. "If you don't want me to blow a hole through her head, then get out!"

The figures paused and stood completely still, their heads slightly cocked as if they were listening to something. And then, one by one, they turned and—Ren couldn't believe what she was seeing—stepped off the platform and disappeared.

Artemis released his arm and turned his back, occupying himself with the aircraft. Ren stood motionless and waited for her breathing to calm down, for her fear to replace itself with fury.

That did not take long.

Balling her fists, she whirled on Artemis and glared at his back.

"You—" she started angrily, but Artemis cut her off.

"I'm not going to apologize," he said curtly. He glanced at her over his shoulder, and, perhaps it was just Ren's imagination, but his tone seemed softer. "Trust me. If I hadn't… you would have gone through something much worse than a gun to your head. And…" his voice was very quiet now, "…I don't want to die again."

And for a moment, Ren caught a glimpse of profound sadness lying just beyond those cold, metallic eyes, and, despite herself, she felt a wave of sympathy for him. And then the sadness was beaten down and locked away, and a look of cussed fury replaced it.

Suddenly, Artemis turned and in one swift strike, smashed the lock sealing the aircraft's hatch, wrenched it open and pulled down a small stepladder.

"Get in," he ordered, looking at Ren.

"What?" Ren asked, surprised.

"I said, get in. You're driving."

"What?!" Ren yelped, taking several steps back this time. "What are you saying?! I can't drive something like that! No, I can't drive, period!"

Suddenly Artemis's nose was mere inches from her face. He'd moved so fast it looked like he'd teleported.

"Get in, or I'll leave you here," he growled. "But are you sure you want to find out what else they'll do to you?"

Ren hesitated. Her mind went back to the Hellena Device and the horrible, jolting feeling it gave her. She remembered with unease the strange, inhuman figures that had stepped off the platform into nothing. She was aware of the gaping loss of her memories, and of the piece of her mind now lying in a decimated body in her arms.

But Artemis… he was a murderer… who could say he would not kill her, too, in the end?

**He won't, trust me,** said Raha. **Now get in there.**

Without another word, Ren scrambled up the ladder, plopped down in the pilot's seat, and stared at the endless buttons in front of her in blank silence.

Artemis reached over her and hit a few keys and flipped switches and suddenly Ren could feel the aircraft rumble to life through the bottom of her seat.

"Here, take these," Artemis said, indicating two joysticks on either side of her seat as she strapped herself in. Ren took hold of the joysticks.

"How do I…?" she began, but Artemis cut her off impatiently.

"Pull those in the direction you want to go, up to gain altitude, down to descend. Got that?"

Ren nodded wordlessly as she listened to her heart hammering in her ears. _Th-thum… th-thump… th-thump…_

"Right. Wait until I tell you to go."

Artemis stepped back and jumped into the tiny compartment above Ren's head, where he could operate the cannon.

"Ready!" he called.

_Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump, th-thump…_

"Steady!"

_Th-thumpth-thumpth-thumpth-thumpth-thump…!_

"GO!"

Ren thrust the joysticks forward with all her might and the aircraft surged ahead, thundering and shuddering. She could see the edge of the platform coming, it was only a few meters away, and beyond there was nothing between her and the ground far below…

And then the horizon tilted and Ren felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as her heart leapt to her throat and it felt like the entire world had flipped on its axis as the aircraft dropped off the platform and fell into the sky.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Disclaimer: I have never owned Inu-Yasha, Fruits Basket, or anything I even remotely alluded to. Which is practically nothing in this chapter.**

YYYYYEEESSSS!!!!!!!! Finally, chapter thirty-three is finished!!!! I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry for the incredibly and excruciatingly long delay!!!! There really is no excuse (except getting into college and the fact that I really wanted to get the first chapter of the original novel posted on fictionpress) so please, I beg of you, forgive me!

Alright, now that adamant apologies are out of the way, Guardian Reign99 you asked me if I got the idea for the story from nadeshiko-archer. First of all, WHHHAAAAATTTT?!?!?!?!?! I certainly hope not! I did try to make this as outrageously original as possible… And I went looking for this nadeshiko, but couldn't find the story, so I can't make absolutely sure… What's her (is it a her?) story about, and exactly how similar is it? **Ominous voice**…Was it realeased after mine?

Okay, I'm cool, I'm cool…

Now, I believe I confused some people with the Inu-Yasha thing, where Kagome was having her meltdown. You know, when she's talking about what happened when she and Inu-Yasha met the Angel? I pretty sure, though I could be wrong, that what was confusing was the italicized dialogue inserted into her crazy breakdown sob story. The italics are in the past and are what she'd said to Inu-Yasha when she and him first fought an Angel. That Angel had been messing around a lot in poor dog-boy's head and drove him crazy so much he tried to beat the living _bajeesus_ out of her, although she definitely wasn't helping the matter. As usual. And the "kagome… kagome… please stop…" thing was pretty much Inu-Yasha begging her to stop.

Also, purtymanagirl58, you said Artemis would not say so easily that he had no feelings for Tohru (or Ren, whichever you prefer, it doesn't really matter at this point anyway). My answer to that: HE'D JUST KISSED HER! I'd think that would have helped him out a lot. Plus, he's the type that is in complete denial of his true feelings, and is the type that believes the more he says it, the more it makes it true. Even it hurts him.

Inuficcrzy, I'll take it you're referring to the part about Inu-boy's Tetsusaiga (I know, it could be spelled Tessaiga, but I think Tetsusaiga looks prettier) being some sort of phallic metaphor. Although I would love to take all the credit, I have to admit the basis for that would be from another fanfic called One Tenth of a Picture by Kristine Batey, when Hojo (I don't care how you spell it) is asking Kagome about Inu-Yasha's sword and gets all… excited about it. Come on, we all know Hojo is gay, gay, gay, gay, _gay_! Anyway, it's quite funny. I suggest you all read it.

Kitsunedemon, you're forgiven. Really, you don't gotta go all Ritsu on me, now. I'm usually the one that does _that_!

Also, YES I AM SO TOTALLY GOING INTO CHOBITS!!!!! I got like a thousand people asking me… Jeez, people must really like it… And yet, I saw no one dressed as Chi or Freya or anyone at Ushicon…

Ushicon… USHICON OH MY GOD USHICON IS THE MOST AWESOME THING EVER TO EXIST IN THE ENTIRE UUUNNNIIVVVEEERRRSSSSSE!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, it was my first anime convention EVER and it so, so COOOOOOLLLLL I cried! I am so going back as White Mage next year, I can hardly friggin' wait! Yes, I've been reading an extensive amount of 8-bit theatre, so…

Oh, 8-Bit Theatre, go to www . nuklearpower . com. It's the best web comic EVER. 'Specially if you're into RPG games and such.

Well, I think that's all for now. Phew! I promise, I'll try to update soon, and please forgive any mistakes. I'm way too lazy to go back and find them.

Exit, stage right!

-Raha-


	34. Fake Wings

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Fake Wings**

* * *

There were many common misconceptions that the Great Lord Sesshoumaru's long white fuzzy thing was actually over-grown armpit hair. That, or it was some sort of weird tail that he, for whatever reason, kept slung over his shoulder due to a kind of strange fashion sense. Neither of these was true, however. The long white fuzzy thing that Sesshoumaru kept slung over his shoulder due to a kind of strange fashion sense (though he did not think it strange in the slightest) was, indeed, a boa. Furthermore, it was _his _boa. And if anyone voiced any sort of misconception that deemed it otherwise, they would quickly be eviscerated.

At the present time, Sesshoumaru was not standing on a hill. Sesshoumaru did not stand—he struck regal poses and looked man-pretty. In fact, he looked _so_ man-pretty that the great dog-demon's vassal, Jakan, had to work very hard to not have orgasms of delight right then and there at Sesshoumaru's feet. If he hadn't resisted such carnal temptation, his beloved Lord Sesshoumaru would have drowned him in the nearest active volcano.

Of course, it was not difficult to distract himself from Sesshoumaru's incredible godly hotness. Rin was there also. Jakan had never been able to figure out why a demon of Sesshoumaru's caliber had picked up such a scruffy child, much less have saved her life, but there it was.

Unfortunately, Jakan had to suffer for his Lord's fancies.

"Jakan, which of these flowers do you think is prettiest? The pink one, or the red one?" Rin asking innocently, holding out two flowers that looked exactly the same in one fist, and gripping the reins of their two-headed dragon with the other.

Jakan, being the horrible, depraved, sick midget toad-demon that he was, did not see why it mattered.

"Why does it matter?" Jakan snorted. "They both look exactly the same!"

"But I _need_ to know!"

"They're just stupid flowers!" Jakan screeched in his painfully annoying voice.

"Quiet." Rin and Jakan feel silent at once and looked up at Sesshoumaru.

"What is it, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jakan asked.

Sesshoumaru had long ago cultivated the art of tuning Jakan out, probably due to the sad fact that Jakan had been his loyal servant for the past several decades, and thus always nearby, so whenever Jakan spoke, Sesshoumaru rarely contracted any interesting facial ticks anymore. Sesshoumaru merely shot the toad a withering glance before promptly turning his attention to something far more pleasing to the eye.

It was a silver compass about the size of his fist, the needle indicating that North was here, and then there, and then everywhere with increasing irritation.

The Angel was close.

Without a word, Sesshoumaru stepped lightly away across the grass, his two vassals following behind. And underneath his expressionless mask, Sesshoumaru may have been smiling.

This was proving to be a very interesting day, indeed.

* * *

Artemis danced aside as one of the Angel's crossbow bolts slammed into the dust at his feet, and loaded a cartridge of the specially forged 30mm, mercurial explosive rounds into his tri-barreled musket, the Anti-Angel Hell-Cannon. The muzzle came up and the Hell-Cannon roared, slamming back into Artemis's shoulder in a powerful kick, three bullets erupting from its mouth and screaming through empty air where the Angel had just been to completely annihilate several nearby trees.

"_Die Scheisse_!" Artemis snarled furiously, drawing his rapier and cutting down two more bolts that shot his way, the Hell-Cannon bucking like a bronco in his hand as he fired again in vain. "_Der Gott verdammt_, how the hell did that thing learn to teleport!"

"You mean…" Koga panted as he desperately struggled to keep up with the Angel, "This isn't normal!"

"_Nein_!" Artemis replied, knocking aside another bolt and returning fire. "Angels have never done this before!"

"They certainly haven't," Malacoda said, his nine-tailed whip singing through the air around in a swirling dance of death, its arms oscillating and weaving in and out of each other, one licking at Artemis's cheek when he stepped too close, though he simply flicked his head aside as the small metal hook embedded in the end sailed past him.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Artemis said, eyeing Malacoda accusingly.

"Oh, come now, Arty, you know my beautiful leather Mistress goes where she will," Malacoda smiled. "But don't worry; she likes you. So you won't be hurt… much."

"Oh, thanks, you don't know the extent of my consolation," Artemis replied scathingly, skipping back as another of the whip's arms reached towards him.

"Goddammit, what the hell is _wrong_ with this piece of crap!" Inu-Yasha shrieked from behind him, and Artemis glanced back to see him swinging the dull and chipped Tetsusaiga about in a useless attempt to get it to transform. Ideally, his sword was not usually in the rather pathetic state it was in when Inu-Yasha drew it to fight whatever foe was threatening to kill him at the moment. _Usually_ the Tetsusaiga took the form of a gigantic fang, thrusting powerfully from the small patch of white fur at the hilt to penetrate his enemies. It was Tetsusaiga The Steel Cleaving Fang, slayer of a thousand demons!

Now up until recently, Inu-Yasha had taken great pride in his sword, but after what that bastard Artemis had said, the image was somewhat tainted.

"What's Tetsusaiga's purpose?" Artemis asked suddenly, watching the Angel in an attempt to discern some kind of pattern in her movements.

"What the hell are you—" Inu-Yasha started to snarl, but then stopped, realization dawning. "Oh…" he murmured, his face falling with dismay. "Oh, I see. The Tetsusaiga… was created to protect humans, and Angels sort of _are _human, so…"

"The Tetsusaiga won't hurt them," Artemis finished "It's a shame, really, to be impotent on a such a minor technicality."

Inu-Yasha bared his teeth in frustration, snarling savagely, his claws digging into his palms as his hands curled themselves into tight fists. Then he slowly sheathed his sword, his head bowed, and walked forward.

"Fine." The dog-demon hissed. "Then I'll just have to improvise. I don't need a sword to _gut_ this little wench." Suddenly he looked up to glare hatred at the Angel through two small points of burning liquid gold, his voice coming out in a jagged, fanged roar, and he leapt.

"I'LL DO IT WITH MY _BARE HANDS!_"

A long white fuzzy thing flew into his path.

"Waah!" Inu-Yasha cried, trying to change direction midair and failing fantastically. He barreled face first into the fuzzy thing and somehow managed to half strangle himself.

"Well, little brother, I knew you were slow, but I did not realize just how unorthodox you are."

"Ugh…" Inu-Yasha moaned, pushing himself up out of the dirt, and spotted none other than Sesshoumaru himself standing but a few feet away.

"Dammit Sesshoumaru, what the _hell_ do you think you're doing!" Inu-Yasha snarled furiously, jumping to his feet. Sesshoumaru ran his fingers through his long, silky white hair, giving Inu-Yasha a contemptible smile, and held up his compass.

"Perhaps you are in need of my assistance?" he asked, still smiling, swinging the compass back and forth gently.

"Hell no!" Inu-Yasha snapped, dodging one of the Angel's bolts.

Artemis fired off several shots in quick succession, the loud barks following so fast they sounded like one, shattering the other bolts before they hit him. Then he sauntered over to the Demon Lord and nodded courteously.

"I'm a bit surprised to see _you _here, Sesshoumaru," Artemis said. The demon regarded him with his usual pokerfaced stare, though the usual disdain in his golden orbs was missing; Artemis was one of the few demons Sesshoumaru held any respect for. He may have regarded Malacoda in the same way, if it wasn't for—

"You just couldn't stay away from me, could you?" Malacoda said, sidling up next to the Demon Lord and slipping an arm around his waist.

"Remove yourself from my person at once."

"I was of the impression that your person liked me."

"I am afraid you are deeply mistaken if you think to have received such a notion from me," Sesshoumaru replied coldly, the effort of looking condescendingly indifferent as Malacoda's hand started to meander down to his rear beginning to make his hands twitch in a desire to kill something. "Now… Get. Off."

With a disappointed little sigh, Malacoda stepped away, though he could not quite hide the mischievous glint twinkling in his eyes, his head flicking to the side carelessly as another steel bolt whizzed past his ear.

"Perhaps it's a good idea to save your little sweet nothings until after we have dealt with this?" Artemis pointed out with a wave at the Angel as it danced playfully through the air.

"Oh, Arty, you're, so boring," Malacoda whined. "Fluffy and I were just having a bit of fun."

"…_What_ did you just call him?" Inu-Yasha gasped after an awkward pause, gaping in open-mouthed shock at Malacoda, who was grinning at the black and murderous rage that had clouded over Sesshoumaru's features.

But he did not have time to retaliate, or even eviscerate, because suddenly the Angel was hovering a few inches from his head, it's crossbow pressed against his temple.

_dont ignore me_ the Angel's voice shrieked furiously in their minds and the bow snapped.

There was a hollow thunk as a steel bolt stuck the ground at Inu-Yasha's feet, and the sharp crack as Sesshoumaru's fist slowly crushed the crossbow, and one of the Angel's small hands, in his vice-like grip.

"That was not a wise decision," Sesshoumaru said coldly, and the Angel screamed, beating its wings wildly, and was gone.

"Alright, Fluffy, show that thing whose boss!" Malacoda cried exuberantly, punching the air.

"I request that you cease calling me by that name at once, Malacoda!" Sesshoumaru snapped, his eyes on the Angel, who had appeared some fifty feet above them. "I am the Great Lord Sesshoumaru, I refuse to be referred to in such a derogatory manner!"

_kill you_ the Angel screeched in outrage, clutching its useless hand.

"Oh, why don't you just bend over and take it like Poland?" Malacoda snorted, his whip flicking out hungrily. The Angel hovered a moment, and Artemis could almost hear its mind working as it calculated its next move. Suddenly, Sango's boomerang whirled beneath the Angel's feet, almost knocking it out of the air, and it shrieked, fighting to regain its balance as Kilala charged. Then Miroku leapt, ripping the prayer beads from his wrist and unleashing the black hole in his palm, which devoured everything in its path with a voracious tenacity.

The Angel struggled futilely, and then disappeared to step out of the air behind the flying cat as she caught the monk and whipped around, growling angrily, fangs bared. But then the Angel extended its good hand…

"KILALA, MOVE!" Artemis yelled. "IT'S GOING TO USE THE GOD'S HAND!"

Kilala balked, confused, but too late—the sound of a thousand beating wings filling the air in a roaring tempest of sound, and a white, plasmatic arm of light streaked past the cat, throwing her into a chaos of frothing terror, screaming and spitting, spinning through the air in wild frenzy.

"Kilala!" Sango cried frantically, trying to calm the hysterical cat, and then they both crashed hard into the ground, where Kilala lay twitching.

"Are you alright!" Inu-Yasha called, running up to them and looking worriedly at his feline companion. Miroku slowly climbed to his feet and brushed himself off as Kilala, now normal sized, was being cradled in Sango's arms.

"I… I think so…" the demon-slayer replied shakily. "I think she's just stunned…"

"What was _that_!" Inu-Yasha demanded, whirling on Artemis.

"_That_ was the God's Hand, utilizing the Divine Light, an Angel's most powerful attack," Artemis said. "It can rip apart the very fabric of this universe, so be careful. It'll destroy even your soul if it touches you."

"And just when were you planning on telling us this!" Inu-Yasha barked. "After it had attacked!"

"Only certain and very powerful Archangels know that attack, how was I supposed to know the _das Ferkel_ was one of the Elite?" Artemis pointed out.

"We need a plan, Artemis," Malacoda said tightly, eyes fixed on the Angel. "Quick. I think she's about to have another go."

"We can't beat this thing alone, not as we are now, if we can't even catch the bloody thing…" Artemis murmured, glancing upwards uneasily, eyes narrowed in thought.

"Would one of your demons do the trick?" Malacoda asked.

"Perhaps…" Artemis said slowly, and nodded. "Right, you stay here and try to distract it. I'll be back." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away towards where Tohru and the others had taken refuge, some thirty feet away.

"Hey… wait!" Inu-Yasha called after him. "Where… what's going on? Artemis!"

Malacoda put a hand on the dog-demon's shoulder, and grinned. "Don't worry," he said quietly. "Artemis may yet have a way to get us out of this. Just be patient, he's not called the God of War for nothing, you know."

* * *

When Hatsuharu saw the Angel pick Yuki up and then slowly pull his arm from his socket, his already reeling mind had almost shut down. But the wave of shock was soon replaced with a tempest of black fury, and something lurking behind his eyes snapped as a twisted mass of roaring rage roiled in his gut.

"I'LL **KILL** THAT LITTLE BITCH!" the Ox bellowed, tossing his horned head angrily. Kagome and Tohru, busy administering Yuki's arm and trying to get his breathing under control, started and looked up in alarm, though after a few seconds kagome turned back to her work, unruffled; she had dealt with far worse from Inu-Yasha.

"Damn, he's turned Black…"Kyo muttered irritably. "Haru, just give it a rest will ya? There's not much you can do like _that_."

"_Shut up_, you stupid Cat!" Haru snapped. _"I'm **not** gonna let that **thing **get away with hurting **Yuki**!"_

"Just what do _you_ intend to do?" Akito asked quietly, and no one missed the mockery in his cobalt gaze, or the disdain tugging at his mouth. Haru whirled on him and glared hatefully, lips curling back in a ferocious snarl.

"**AT LEAST** **_I_ PLAN TO DO _SOMETHING_ INSTEAD OF HANGING BACK HERE LIKE A GOD DAMN _COWARD_, AKITO!"**

The blood left Akito's face in an instant, and his eyes became the two black holes in the muzzle of a loaded shotgun. But Haru was not in his right mind to notice—until Akito's fist smashed into his face.

"Akito!" Tohru gasped as Haru staggered, blood pouring from his muzzle, eyes wide with shock. Akito ignored her, raising his fist to strike a second time, but Valery flung herself on him and wrestled him to the ground.

"Hey, stop that!" she reprimanded. "This is no time to be fighting! Pull yourself together!"

"**Get your filthy hands off me!"** Akito roared, throwing Val off and surging to his feet. Haru backed off hurriedly as the Head Sohma spun towards him, shaking his bovine head, droplets of blood splattering everywhere.

"Akito!" Tohru cried, throwing herself between him and the Ox, and Akito seized her wrist to throw her to the ground—

And ended up flat on his back, the wind knocked from his lungs, and Rahallion standing on his chest and snarling into his face. When he looked up, he found Kyo standing over him, fists raised, red eyes wide with anger at Akito and shock at what he, himself, had just done. It was a few seconds more before the realization of what Akito would do in retaliation for striking him made itself known in Kyo's mind, and a feeling a dread tightened in his chest. Akito merely stared, remaining deathly still as Kyo tried not to hyperventilate.

Then Akito slowly climbed to his feet, ignoring Raha's growls, dark eyes never leaving the Cat's fiery gaze. It seemed like an eternity before anyone dared to speak.

"A-Akito…" Kyo finally murmured, and steeled himself as Akito's hand flew towards his face, and even if he had time to dodge, he didn't dare—

"What do you think you're doing?" asked a cold voice, and Kyo gasped. Artemis stood just behind Akito, whose wrist was held in the demon's iron grip, his molten gold eyes glinting like hellfire.

"Let me go!" Akito snarled, enraged. "This has nothing to do with you! Let go!"

"Quiet down," Artemis ordered. "You're acting like a spoiled child. This is no place to be fighting, at least _attempt_ to control yourself."

Artemis released Akito and the Sohma jerked away, hissing with wrath, his hands clenched into tight fists. Artemis eyed him with an air of disdain and boredom.

"Strike me, and I will snap your arm in six different places," he said lazily. The fury in Akito's eyes intensified, knowing it was true. Slowly, reluctantly, his fingers loosened, dropping a cold mask over his features, and regarded Artemis with a look of absolute abhorrence. Artemis flicked an ear indifferently and turned his back in nonchalant insolence.

Haru backed away towards Kagura and had decided it was probably best if he just lay low for while when he felt something touch his foreleg. Looking down he found Millie grinning up at him, with an armful of gauze.

"Your nose is bleeding," she informed him. "If Haru doesn't stop it he will probably die a slow and agonizing death. But don't worry, Millie will save you."

"Oh… thanksh," Haru said in a rather muffled voice as she proceeded to shove super-absorbent materials up his nose.

"Um… Artemis?" Tohru said quietly, casting a faintly worried glance at the fuming Akito. "Artemis, what's the matter?"

**They can't handle a silly little Angel, that's what.**Raha said disdainfully in her head. Tohru ignored him.

"The Angel is too fast for us," Artemis replied. "It's keeps teleporting all over the place, we can't even come close to it, _and_ it's using the God's Hand."

**Told you.** Raha snorted.

"Is that what that light was?" Kagura asked, shuddering, and Artemis gave a curt nod.

"But what are you doing back here?" Val wanted to know. "You got a plan, or something?"

"No," he replied flatly. "But I know of someone who might. Lust, I need you. Now."

Kyo and the other Sohmas glanced at Tohru in confusion, looking for some sort of explanation, and then, very abruptly, that explanation rose up from the ground and snuck up from behind and slipped an arm around his shoulders.

"My, my, my, what have we here…?" a voice murmured in his ear, and Kyo leapt away with a startled cry, spinning around so fast he barely managed to stay on his feet, to come face to face with the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen—and being a Sohma, he'd seen _a lot _of gorgeous women.

This lady was dark and slender, her black hair falling in lazy, winding waves down her back to curl at her curvaceous hips. Red serpentine eyes gazed at him from beneath long lashes, a deadly sort of seductiveness swirling deep within their depths. Lips smiled suggestively at him, glistening like spilt blood, and she inhaled, her voluptuous bosom pressing against the sheer fabric of her alluring, and revealing, black satin dress.

"Who the hell are you!" Kyo snapped, immediately on guard, trying to steady his electric nerves and spinning brain. The woman's smile simply widened, those dragon eyes glittering, her full lips pulling back to reveal glistening white fangs.

"Well, aren't you just ze charmer," she said. "I am ze Sinner Lust, subordinate to my Lord Artemis van Heironymus." Something about her Parisian dulcet tone told Kyo she was anything but faithful. "What do I have ze pleasure of calling such a _fine_ gentleman as yourself?"

Kyo blinked, taken aback, mind still reeling from her aroma as it wafted through his senses.

"Kyo," he said shortly, glaring warily at her, not quite able to tear his eyes away.

Artemis snorted, eyeing the other Sohma men, some of which were staring in open-mouthed shock at the new arrival.

"How… How did she… Where did she come from?" Haru stammered in bewilderment, and Lust cocked in intrigued eyebrow at him. Haru almost melted, literally, on the spot. The Sinner smiled, a small laugh dancing on her long tongue as she turned her eyes back to regard Artemis.

"Well, Master? What do you wish of me?"

"I need to know the best way to defeat an Archangel who possesses the power to teleport, as swiftly as possible."

Lust glanced over her bare shoulder at the Angel who danced playfully in the air, toying with its demonic and human enemies as if they were insects.

"But she's so small!" Lust laughed, turning to Artemis. "Small and weak, and you can't even beat her?"

"I have neither the time nor the patience to deal with your games right now, Lust."

Lust sighed and pulled a laptop from seemingly thin air, where it floating before her as her fingers flew over the keys.

"None of your demons can hope to combat against an Angel and come out alive," she said after a few minutes. "Zough zere is zat one zat can destroy everyzing wizin a twenty-five mile radius, but I doubt you wish to go to such extremes."

"Obviously," Artemis stated flatly, ignoring the stares he was getting from the Sohmas.

"Well, zen, zere is only one ozer option available," Lust said, and her eyes flicked to Tohru and away.

"Oh?"

"Yes… ze Infernal Arts—"

"No!" Tohru cried at once, and all eyes turned to her in surprise. Artemis cocked an eyebrow at her, but she went on regardless. "Artemis, you can't! The Infernal Arts… you know what it does to you!"

"Yes," Artemis nodded, a tiny grin tugging at his mouth. "It gives me a splitting headache, that's what."

"That wasn't what I meant!" Tohru cried, flustered. "The Infernal Arts are dangerous, and we both know your soul can't handle that kind of power; it'll be devoured! You can't—"

"Alright, alright, I understand!" Artemis said hurriedly, holding his hands up in a gesture of acquiescence. "I won't use the Arts. Lust, is there another way, one which doesn't involve decimating myself or the landscape?"

"Hmph," Lust snorted, smiling. "Yes, zere is one ozer way zat I know of." Her eyes flicked to Tohru for a moment. "Ze Pseudo-Angel should work quite well, don't you zink?"

"Pseudo-Angel…?" Tohru repeated, mystified. "Artemis, what is she talking about…?"

Artemis looked away and didn't answer, his eyes narrowed, some internal conflict swirling deep within their depths.

"_Die Scheisse_…"

"Artemis…?" Tohru asked again in growing concern, putting a tentative hand on his arm. He flattened his ears and didn't respond, so she turned instead to Lust.

"Lust, what's a Pseudo-Angel?"

Lust only smiled wider and slid closer to Artemis, her body rippling as she moved to curl a hand around his neck.

"Well, Master, what will you do?" she whispered for his ear alone, her lips moving against his cheek. Artemis froze, a low growl rumbling deep in his throat.

"Lust…" he muttered warningly.

"What will you do, Artemis?" she repeated. "Destroy a part of your soul… or bring back zose memories you yourself long to forget… ze love she once held for you? Or you could always summon zat demon and allow it to simply destroy us all."

"Get off me. Now." Artemis ordered.

"Ze ball's in your park now," Lust murmured, stepping away. "I suggest you act soon, ze Angel will soon tire of its little game, and zen ze God Hand will crush you all into dust."

Artemis glanced back at the Angel, clenching his fists in frustration, while Tohru looked between them in wide-eyed confusion.

"Could you please tell me what's going on?" she asked.

"Yes, I believe we would all like to know," Hatori said quietly from his water cup. Artemis didn't reply at once. One black-leather gloved hand ran through his hair indecisively, remorse making his eyes hard and regret tightening his jaw into tortured silence.

Finally he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Alright…" he murmured ruefully. "Tohru… Come here."

Tohru stepped closer, eyeing Artemis wonderingly, and he regarded her expressionlessly for a moment in silence. Then he shook his head and pressed two fingertips against her forehead.

"Don't move, Tohru," he said quietly. "This won't take long."

"Artemis what—"

The rest of Tohru's sentence was cut off as Artemis pulled her closer and she squeaked in protest.

"Hey…!" Kyo objected angrily. "Let her go!"

"I'm sorry," Artemis muttered into Tohru's ear, ignoring the Cat. "I hate to hurt you like this, but I can't risk losing my soul."

Tohru went very still, feeling her heart skip a beat, and wondering why his voice was so filled with lamentation it to pour from him like blood.

"The bird of Hermes is thy name," Artemis went on softly. "Eating your wing to make you tame."

And then the world exploded into a sound so loud it drove the ears of all who heard it six feet into their skull. Kyo cried out and clapped his hands over his ears, only to realize the sound was in his _head_. Then a brightness assaulted his sight, and the sound transformed into music so terrifyingly beautiful is disdained to annihilate them all. Kyo couldn't breath and fell back into the grass, peering up at a vision of ephemeral, ebullient light.

Tohru stood in the midst of that glory, listening to the singing of the universe with Her head cocked to the side, brilliant blue eyes distant as if staring at something faraway, white hair fluttering about Her face, wings outstretched to the heavens. About Her feet plants surged into growth, twining with quickened impatience about Her ankles and spreading out around Her in zealous passion.

Kyo fought to make his lungs work as an iron band tightened around his head, crushing it… the suddenly Tohru was gone, Her axes, Lapis Lazuli, screaming through the air towards the Angel, who disappeared in the blink of an eye, and the sky was filled with darting light as both beings spun and weaved, dodging and ducking in a spiraling aerial dance that rose higher and higher into the clouds.

Then abruptly, the Angel was inches from Kyo's nose, and he, with a startled cry, whirled and struck the Angel hard across the cheek. She shrieked and reeled, then drove forward and her palm pressed against his face—Kyo's heart stopped when he realized it was about to use the God's Hand—that his head was about to be evaporated and his soul eternally obliterated from the face of the earth—

Kyo gasped as something smashed into his chest, sending him crashing to the ground, the Angel knocked aside and howling in outrage at the loss of it's prey. Claws dug into his shoulders and Kyo lifted his head dazedly to see none other than Rahallion standing smugly on top of him, staring down at him as if to say, 'Now you really owe me one, don't you, Cat?'

Kyo grunted and pushed himself up, eyes darting upwards in search of the Angel as She came rushing down from the Heavens, the silver axes alive with song, and with a horrible ripping noise, slashed through the Angel's right shoulder and red blood poured out over the ground. The Angel cried out, and in desperation, opened a door to another universe and fluttered through, the Pseudo-Angel hot on her heels…

* * *

Shigure could not relax. It had nearly been three hours since Hatori has disappeared through the door, and Shigure was getting more and more anxious as his watch ticked away the time. He was seated at the kitchen table, a cold cup of untouched tea in his hand, watching as Ayame nervously paced back and forth.

Isuzu was sat on her bed in her dark room, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, her head on her knees, one of Haru's many accessories clutched in her fist. She had not moved from that position for nearly an hour and a half, and had not even looked up when Hiro had poked his head in about thirty minutes before.

Ritsu, too, was in his room, flitting about in nervous agitation, as was Kureno, who was trying to read a book to calm his nerves but his eyes did not seem to want to stay focused on the page…

After Hiro had checked up on Isuzu he had returned to Artemis's study, but there was no point in watching the DVDs now, with Kisa so worried about Tohru…

In fact, all of their nerves were so shot that when the entire castle seemed to explode they all shouted soundlessly, even their voices driven back by the sheer magnitude of the noise that crashed and resounded through the halls and didn't seem as if it would ever stop.

Shigure, along with the rest of his cousins, leapt to his feet and ran outside, Ayame not far behind, and there he stopped dead, staring in open-mouthed wonder at the sight of the two beings that met his wide eyes, so breathtakingly magnificent they had to have been sent from God.

They had to be Angels. But there was something very wrong with the smaller one, and as she flew over him, something splattering his robes as she passed, he realized what it was. _She had no face._ Then Shigure looked down and realized that the wet something on his robes was _blood_.

"Inu-Yasha!" Artemis called above the deafening sound of music that filled the world, climbing through the door as Shigure looked up, fingering uncomprehendingly at the sticky stain that was slowly spreading across his front. "Attack Sesshoumaru!"

"What!" Inu-Yasha cried, jumping through the door.

"And just what, may I ask, will that accomplish?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know, following his brother.

"If you attack a full-fledged demon your sword will transform, correct?" Artemis said.

"Oh!"

"So attack Sesshoumaru!"

"My pleasure!" Inu-Yasha cried exuberantly, and without further ado, rushed at his brother, drawing the Tetsusaiga and thrusting it down powerfully as it burst into the enormous fang of his father, blazing with righteous fire that ripped apart the earth as it charged across the spaces at the Great Lord Sesshoumaru. Who stepped aside and let the blast engulf a hapless nearby boulder, which promptly collapsed into a pile of sand.

"Okay… now what?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Now you send a Cutting Wind towards Tohru," Artemis replied calmly, and Inu-Yasha's mouth dropped open.

"You want me to _attack_ her!"

"No, I want you to attack Sesshoumaru, who will be conveniently positioned in front of Tohru."

Everyone, including Rahallion, stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Trust me, I have a plan," Artemis said. Sesshoumaru stared impassively at Artemis, gazed up at the Angel and Tohru, looked back at Artemis, and nodded.

"I see," he said quietly.

"Oh really? Would you mind explaining it to me?" Inu-Yasha snapped scathingly.

"There is no point in explanation when your pathetic mind could not possibly comprehend." Sesshoumaru spat. "Now, if you please?"

Inu-Yasha attempted fratricide via eyeballs, and then decided his sword was probably a more conventional way to achieve his goal.

"Fine by me!" he snarled, and sent the biggest Cutting Wind he could at Sesshoumaru, who again stepped easily out of the way and watched as it shot off towards the Pseudo-Angel.

"Tohru!" Artemis shouted, and She turned to see the blast hurtling towards her with a sound of fury. Then she gently stretched forth her hand and all the energy of Inu-Yasha's attack gathered in her palm, curling itself into a tight ball of pure destructive force. She pulled it to her chest, and then threw it out towards the Angel, whose petrified screams could not be heard over the awful, ghastly noise that seemed to fill the world and something massive passed through her small body like a wind, leaving an awful, ghastly silence in its wake.

And then the Angel's body came apart like a wooden doll, and her limbs fell softly to earth. For a moment, Tohru was completely still, and then her wings slowly dissipated, floating away like smoke on a breeze, and she tilted and fell backwards into Artemis's arms, where she collapsed into unconsciousness.

Almost immediately there were a number of explosions, and Hatori, Kagura, Hatsuharu, and Yuki were back in human form, their mind too numb from the sudden and complete stillness of sound to comprehend exactly what was happening.

"Kagome," Artemis called into that utter quiet, his voice sounding distant even to his acute ears. "I require bandages at once. Tohru's hands got ripped up pretty badly."

"Wh-what?" Kyo said sharply, and hissed when his eyes fell on Tohru's palms: deep lacerations covered every inch from wrist to fingertip, and were bleeding heavily. Kagome hurried over with Hatori's new medical bag, biting her bottom lip at the sight, and pulling out supplies.

"Here, I'll do it," Hatori said quietly, taking the bandages from her hands. Kagome looked up at the Doctor, dressed only in his pants, his shirt tucked in the crook of his elbow, and nodded mutely, not trusting her voice and intensely aware of the fact that she was blushing a deep scarlet. Hatori wordlessly took his bag and set to work on Tohru's hands, his cold eyes betraying nothing of the emotions and thoughts chasing each other round and round in his head.

When he had finished, Artemis picked Tohru up, nodded to Hatori, turned on his heel, and headed towards the castle without a word. Lucifer was awaiting him at the door, took hold of the demon's shoulder, and in the blink of an eye, all three vanished.

"Tohru!" Kyo cried, alarmed.

"Don't worry," said a voice from behind him, and Kyo turned to see Malacoda carrying Yuki's limp form on his back. "We'll be in the infirmary." The demon informed him, and with that, he too, was gone.

"Come on, I'll show you where that is," Val said, smiling wanly, and motioned to Inu-Yasha and his companions. "You guys come, too. You look like you could use a good rest before you head out, and we have rooms to spare."

Kagome cast a pleading look at Inu-Yasha, who was too exhausted to argue, and nodded.

"I will have to decline," Sesshoumaru said with cold politeness. "There is another that I must get back to as soon as possible." His eyes darted to Tohru. "I trust she will be…"

"Don't worry, she'll be okay." Val smiled.

Sesshoumaru nodded and turned away, walking through the door back into his own universe. Val sighed and motioned for the others to follow and made her way to the castle, the Sohmas a few paces behind.

All but one. Shigure stood very still, rubbing his blood-soaked fingers thoughtfully. He remembered the first time he had seen Tohru's two blades, the morning she had returned from her first excursions into the multiverse almost a week before—had it truly only been less than a week? It had felt as if a year had passed since then—and he had caught a strange scent lingering on her blades, Lapis Lazuli, that had scent shivers down his spine, though he had not known if they were of joy or of fear. His mind had screamed that something was horribly _wrong_ about the smell, but his heart had disagreed with just as much fervor.

He had determined to ask Tohru about it later, but in light of all that had happening, it had completely slipped his mind. But now he knew what that smell had been.

It had been Angel's blood.

"Hey, Shigure, are you just going to stand out here in a daze are do you want to come in?"

Shigure turned to see Valery standing next to him with a crooked little grin, and a smile crept into his mouth and just stayed there.

"Well, hello again, Valery," he said. "No, I was just thinking. I'll be with you in a minute. Unless…" he stepped closer, his smiling turning promiscuous. "You would rather stay out here for a little while longer?"

Val chuckled. "Well, aren't we just shameless? Stay back, or I'll Pocket Ninja you again."

"Oh, is that what you did when you reached into my robe and grabbed my—"

"Yup."

"Interesting. Mind showing me more?"

"Oh, sure! Anytime!" she said cheerfully.

Shigure blinked. He had not quite expected it to be so easy.

"Really?" he asked eagerly.

"No. Nice try, though," Val grinned and scampered away. Shigure stared after her, shook his head, and hurried to catch up, smiling to himself the entire time.

_Oh, yes, Valery, I can tell this is going to be a very interesting game indeed._

The moment Shigure entered the infirmary, his cheerful façade dropped away, and his eyes turned grim. Yuki lay motionless in his bed, his breathing still slightly labored, his arm splinted and up in a sling, and his chest bandaged. Tohru lay in the bed next to him, her bandaged hands at her sides. Kyo sat next to her bed on the side farthest from Yuki, his eyes never leaving her face, elbows on his knees, chin resting on interwoven fingers. His hair had fallen into his eyes, and his expression was indiscernible.

Kagura sat next to him, her knees drawn up to her chest. Kisa's arms were tight around Hiro's shoulders, and his eyes shone brightly as they stared at the unconscious girl. Behind them stood Koga, Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango, with a sleeping Kilala in her arms. On the other side of the bed was Ritsu, looking fretfully between his cousin and Tohru, standing next to a tense Haru, Isuzu and Momiji standing on either side of him. Kureno stood on the far side of Yuki's bed, alone, shifting his weight nervously as his eyes wandered between the Tohru, Yuki, and the rest of his cousins.

Hatori, fully dressed now, stood between the two beds with arms folded, one curled hand touching his lips, dragon eyes narrowed in concern. Ayame stood next to him, twisting his long white braid in his hands anxiously.

Millie, in her rabbit form, was curled up next to Tohru's head. Raha's wing lay protectively over the little bunny's back, and he showed his teeth to anyone that thought to even look at him funny.

Akito was nowhere to be seen.

Neither were Artemis, Lucifer, and Malacoda.

"Oh, Shii-chan…" Ayame said, spotting him. "This is… this is… Yuki… and Tohru… they just won't w-wake up…"

Shigure pulled his friend into a tight hug, but Ayame, in his state of shock, didn't seem to notice.

"Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment…" Val quietly.

"W-wait… what about my brother…?" Ayame gasped. "God, what happened to them…?"

Val gave him a sympathetic look, but shook her head.

"I don't have time to explain right now," she said quickly. "But there is someone who does. Don't worry, she'll be here in a moment."

And with that she slipped out and her quick footsteps faded away down the hall. Several minutes passed in silence, in which Momiji's eyes slowly became heavy and his head nodded in an attempt to stay awake.

_That's funny…_ he thought fuzzily. _You'd think I'd be bit more awake with Tohru and Yuki in this condition…_

Looking around, he noticed his cousins were also beginning to look increasingly lethargic, slumping in their seats or resting their heads in their hands in a dull sort of stupor.

"Well, aren't we a cheerful bunch."

Momiji blinked at the new voice that seemed to come from nowhere and looked up slowly in search of the source. He found it after a moment, but for some reason he was just too… his mind searched sluggishly for the word he wanted, and finally hit upon one he liked. _Slothful_. Yeah, that was it. For some reason he was just too slothful to be overly surprised.

It was a slender woman dressed in a gray, colorless kimono, stretched out on a rafter and gazing down at them through lazy blue eyes, her silver waist-length hair pulled back and tied near the end in a very loose pony-tail.

"Oh, hello…" Ayame said, looking up at her with sleepy eyes. "Who are you…?"

"Name's Sloth," the woman replied, smiling. "I'm another of Artemis's slaves."

Haru frowned. "Slaves?"

"He didn't tell you exactly what the Sinners are, did he?"

"Sinners?" Hatori said, looking at her in mild confusion.

"Yeah, the other one, Lust, said she was his subordinate," Haru answered.

"Wait a minute, you're named after the Seven Deadly Sins?" Shigure asked, his brow raised.

Sloth nodded. "Yup, our creator called us that. His name," her eyes flicked to Hiro and Kisa. "Was William Farinata Ptolemy."

"Ptolemy!" Kisa gasped. "The man that created the Angels and demons?"

Sloth smiled and nodded. "The very same, though we were around before even them. One of Farinata's earlier experiments, shall we say, before his great discovery of what is now Hirofuriae's entire theology. We were in servitude to him until about 1492, when we were forced into a… new line of employment, under Artemis."

"Why?" Hiro asked.

"Oh, he killed us," Sloth said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"_What!"_

"Yes, I imagine he failed to mention that little fact… You see, the soul of every demon Artemis kills is eternally bound to serve him as his slave."

Suddenly Sloth sank straight through the rafter and dropped down onto the floor, that indolent little smile still playing about her lips as she reclined in a vacant chair, watching the Sohmas faintly alarmed expressions in languid amusement.

"He can summon us at will," she went on. "And we must obey all his commands. Though… it doesn't come without benefits."

"B-benefits…?" Kagura said weakly, staring at the Sinner with wide eyes and trying to calm her shaking nerves.

"Oh, yes. We're quite powerful now, actually. With one kiss Lust can make anyone, male or female, fall so desperately in love with her that they would be willing to do absolutely anything on her behalf, even throw themselves to their deaths or attack their own comrades if she wished it so." Sloth paused, and cocked her head in comfortable carelessness. "As for me, my very influence can make anyone in the same room grow quite… slothful."

"And there are other people like you?" Ayame asked, finding it a little difficult to think at the moment. All he really wanted to do was put his head down and take a nap.

"Yes," Sloth said. "Aside from myself and Lust, there is also Pride, our leader, Wrath, Greed, Envy, and Gluttony."

"What happened to Tohru?" Kyo asked suddenly, his voice very quiet. "Val said she'd send someone to explain…"

"Ah, yes… Tohru. I assume you all witnessed her… transformation?"

All nodded mutely and waited for her to continue.

"Tohru is what we in Hirofuriae refer to as a Pseudo-Angel, a fake Angel. Her 'holy' abilities are erratic, unreliable, and take a great toll on her body, as you can see. It will be several hours before she'll wake up, and many more days before she's going to be able to move."

"But… she'll be alright?" Kyo wanted to know.

"Yeah, she'll be fine, your cousin, too. I think Artemis, Lucifer, and Malacoda are working on collecting medicines from the castle's apothecary right now."

"All three of them need to be present to get a bit of medicine?" Hatori asked dubiously.

"The King of Hell's apothecary can be a very dangerous place to be," said Sloth, and Hatori didn't argue. "As for Tohru's talents, they are directly linked to Rahallion."

"Rahallion?" Kisa asked, glancing perplexedly at the familiar, who flicked an ear indifferently.

"Yup. As far as we can tell, when he was transmuted into a physical body, that's when Tohru gained her holy abilities. It has a lot to do with the psychological and spiritual ramifications that come with _releasing_ a person who doesn't want to be _released_. I'd explain it all, but it would take forever, you probably wouldn't understand it since I don't get even half of it, but it doesn't matter because I'm just too damn lazy to care. But most of everything that has changed in Tohru is because of him, from her power to open doors, to her very psyche."

"I see…" Shigure said thoughtfully. "That would explain why she's a bit more relaxed nowadays. And why she gets angrier easier."

"Yes," Sloth nodded. "As Raha is directly linked to her mind, the absence of him attributed to the absence of some of her emotions, such as anger. And as anger can act as a stress reliever, that makes her calmer in turn. Without Rahallion, she is incomplete as a human being."

Suddenly, Sloth rose and gave a short bow.

"If you don't have anymore questions, I think I'll go take another afternoon siesta. I just finished this morning's, you see."

"Wait," said Inu-Yasha. "My Cutting Wind... Tohru absorbed it. How...?"

"Simple. Tohru's own God Hand is incredibly unfocused. It goes everywhere, and the chances of her hitting the Angel were very slim. She converted the kinetic energy of your Cutting Wind and used it to give her own attack direction."

"But how did Artemis know it wouldn't kill her?" Inu-Yasha pressed. "How did she change it?"

"Tohru's powers are those of a creative force. Your attack is of a destructive force. Normally, the two forces would cancel each other out, but as her abilities have lain dormant for nearly a year, they've built up an excess of energy, having no outlet, so she was able to overrule your attack and turn it to her advantage. She probably won't be able to do that again, so don't worry."

Inu-Yasha nodded slowly, and Sloth, with a leisurely little wave, began to sink into her own reflection without a sound. "Oh, and don't bother to call if you need me," her grinning head added before it, too, was swallowed up into the mirror-like and ornate marble floors.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. But that's okay, I still have Artemis!**

**IMPORTANT! YOU MUST READ THIS AND REPLY IF YOU WISH TO SEE THE NEXT PLANNED CHAPTER!**

In Chapter Thirty-Five there is a rather major spoiler, which is planned to come into play quite a lot from now on. I need to know if everyone is aware of what will happen to Kyo after his graduation. If I get too many negatives on the subject, I'll need to rethink how Thirty-Five's going to go. If you already know, then please… just review anyway. Thank you for your cooperation!

* * *

**Translations:**

Die Scheisse—Expletive deleted

Der Gott verdammt—God damn it (hopefully at least, there were several translations of this so I just picked whichever one sounded the coolest. Please forgive me if I'm wrong.)

Das Ferkel—Filthy brat

Also, on Shigure's realization about the axes, refer back to Chapter Eight. For the Pocket Ninja Val preforms on Shigure (use your imagination, I don't want this to become R-rated) refer to Chapter Thirty-Two, near the end.

* * *

FINALLY! Finally, finally, finally Chapter Thirty-Four is _finished_! **_WOO-HOO!_** **Throws streamers and runs about gaily, crying for joy** Oh, wow, that took forever, didn't it? I'm really, really, _really_ sorry, but my Muse ran off somewhere and I couldn't find her for months. Well… my Fruits Basket Muse anyway. I acquired a few other Muses and started a couple of other fanfics… In fact, I believe my Furuba Muse went off with the Phantom of the Opera, and that's why I couldn't find her, because I saw that movie and everything just dropped off the face of the planet. Yeah, that must be it.

But anyway, I have returned, Fruits Basket fans! You can all bask once again in my glory! Bask, I say! So, yes, I'm back and hoping things might go quicker around here now that Senior year is winding to a close and I have been accepted into college, so… yeah, life is good now that it's not trying to rip my brains out through my nostrils.

And to Writersrus05, believe it or not, I know exactly what I'm doing. I have been writing since about Kindergarten, so I should have a pretty good idea by now how to draw out suspense and the plot and the like.

And yes, you will all eventually see my newest characters, the Seven Deadly Sinners, otherwise (unofficially) known as Artemis's Dead Sexy Demon Whores among a few close friends and myself.

Well, I hope you enjoyed. Remember, reviews make the world go round! And do tell me if I need to make any corrections, I was too lazy to proof read this one. Until we meet again!

Signing off,

Raha


	35. Dear Raha's devoted fans

Dear Raha's devoted fans,

This is Raha's editor, Valery. Yes she made a character in my most beautiful image, though I must say that she does take some liberties with my perfect personality. But getting back to the point, she has a very good reason for not posting a new chapter in, how many months? Oh, right, in almost three. I've told her that it is in her best interest that she post or fear the loss of so many readers and their repetitive praising.

I hope you know that thanks to your complements she has become so DAMN CONCEADED! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to deal with some one who is in love with her self? "I'm so awesome, they bow down in my glory. MUH-HAHAHAHAHAHA! I am the evil over lord of the universe!" But don't get me wrong she is a very sweet girl. Though she maybe delusional, but she is a damn fine writer.

But getting back the real issue of why she hasn't posted. The most terrible thing has happened. Her mother, who is the foulest thing in existence, decided that since Raha was going off to college that the whole family was going to move. So now they are in a piss-ant town with nothing but…nothing. So she at this point has been with out an Internet since July 7. But I still think that it is no excuse to not have chapter 35 posted. She does have it in the works but I really think it sucks, it is the worst idea she has come up with. It is so damn corny, and she has Artemis acting as a mediator for people, which of course is not like him. Wow, I was shocked when she told me about that terrible, TERRIBLE idea, but maybe it will get better. This is going to be a talking heavy chapter and hopefully the next one will be a mostly action and things blowing up, like to atom bomb. "Good news everyone:" the next chapter isn't going to be 20 pages! It will be more like 10. But I wouldn't get your hopes up; the next chapter will not be out till most likely September, _maybe_ late August. She has to move into her new dorm and get adjusted, and so on.

Please keep reading, she has to recruit for her army some where. Thank you for reading this, I hope you have a great day!

-Valery-

P.S. My character kicks SO MUCH ASS! You guys should look forward to reading more chapters with me in them, who knows some may get sexually harassed by me! .


	36. Revelations

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Revelations**

* * *

Malacoda picked through Lucifer's apothecary, selecting various herbs and medicines, stepping lightly away from those plants that tried to attack him. 

"Really, Artemis," he was saying, flicking his hand away from the Venublian Snap Dragon that had had a go for his fingers. "Did you have to take such extreme measures? You know bringing up those memories is just going to complicate matters further, and it's already bad enough as it is. We could have taken the Angel, no problem."

"Get off it," Artemis snarled from his seat at the small wooden table, his head in his hands, and a strong cup of tea steaming in front of him. "It would have obliterated you all in a matter of time, and you know it."

"I know that when she wakes up we're all going to have a lot of explaining to do as to why we erased her memories of your relationship," Malacoda retorted darkly, and gave a sardonic grin. "I'm really rather enjoying immortality, it would be a shame if I died now."

"Oh, would it?" Artemis snorted bitterly. "As opposed to half an hour ago?"

"Well… I'd have to say Death By Giant Axes sounds much more horrible than Death By Divine Light," Malacoda said lightly. Artemis just groaned and flattened his ears against his skull.

"Oh, come on, Art, I'm sure it won't be _that_ bad," Malacoda said bracingly, throwing himself in the seat across from the wolf-demon. "Look at it this way: as Ren's going to be out for several hours yet you'll have plenty of time to think up something by way of explanation, and when she _does_ wake up she'll be too weak to clobber you for a while so you'll at least have a chance to say something."

"Somehow that fails to be reassuring," Artemis deadpanned.

"Well, I doubt she's going to actually kill you," Malacoda huffed. "You _do_ have a life-bond. That's homicidal suicide, right there. Or is it suicidal homicide? But… that's not what you're worried about, is it?" he finished quietly, and Artemis's gaze flicked up for a moment before it fell once more to the contents of his cup. When he didn't respond, Malacoda considered whether or not to continue.

"You know…" he began carefully, watching his companion closely. "Now that she remembers… you could take her back."

Two yellow eyes snapped up and spat fire at him.

"…Or not."

Artemis sighed and shook his head, his anger dissipating. "It wouldn't work… she'll have to leave again eventually when this is all over. In any case, she more than likely despises me, or she will when she regains consciousness, so I see no reason to attempt something like that," he said coldly, eyes hard.

"You don't know that," Malacoda said, swirling the contents of his own cup. "Maybe she doesn't hate you."

"And perhaps you will volunteer for charity," Artemis deadpanned.

"Ha!" Malacoda snorted. "I'll start lactating before _that_ happens."

"Precisely."

It was at that moment that the door to the apothecary slid quietly open, and Malacoda looked up in interest, but Artemis doggedly ignored whoever had just walked into the room. That is, until whoever it was gave him a firm, hard slap across the face. There was a crash as his teacup slipped from his hand and smashed on the floor, but neither he nor his attacker cared to notice.

"Valery…" Artemis murmured, glancing up, and the look in his eyes indicated he'd been expecting something like this. Val regarded him coldly and then calmly seated herself between him and Malacoda.

"Alright, Artemis," she began. "You've got five minutes to start explaining what you were thinking."

"…I take it you're referring to what I did to Tohru?" Artemis said, his voice devoid of emotion, his handsome poker face hardly flinching in face of her chilling wrath.

"Don't you give me that bullshit," Val snapped. "I want to know what the hell is wrong with you that you had to go and do something like that! Didn't we agree that we would never bring those memories back? And who was it that came up with that idea in the first place? You! The only reason we ever did anything to her mind was because of you!"

"I only did what was necessary," Artemis replied flatly, looking away.

"Right, fine, I'll admit the Angel was a little overpowered—"

"A little?" Artemis snorted. "It was barely of cherub rank, and only the Archangels can use the God's Hand without blowing themselves to pieces! Something's happening, and you know it."

"Then why didn't you use the Infernal Arts?" Valery argued. "I'm sure you could handle even a real Archangel with the Arts."

"Why indeed?" Malacoda said with a small shrug and shake of his head, that incessant amused little grin still playing about his mouth. "The Arts would have destroyed a part of your soul, yes, but then we wouldn't have to suffer all this grief. By forcing Ren to awaken as the Pseudo-Angel you've unlocked those memories of her love for you, which when this is all over will only have to be put away again, if they can be at all. Not only that, but because of you she was physically as well as emotionally harmed."

"Yeah, nice job looking out for your own welfare and not hers. I thought you loved her, you ass," Valery said acidly, examining her fingernails and picking out invisible dirt. Artemis didn't respond, and stared determinedly at the floor, feigning indifference. But Malacoda saw his fists shaking beneath the table.

"Of course, in the long run of things, if Artemis' soul was completely devoured by the Infernal Arts, it could have a devastating effect on Ren, seeing as their souls are bound," he said, sitting back in his seat with a casual grace. "Then again it might not, as that soul was never yours to begin with… now was it?"

Artemis shot him a death glare, but Malacoda only shrugged and smiled.

"But we can't know that for sure, so I suppose what you did was the only sensible thing given the circumstances," he said, and drank his coffee. "I suppose I would have done the same thing, now your powers aren't restricted."

"Restricted?" Val echoed questioningly, and then snapped her fingers when she remembered what he was talking about. "Oh yeah, you can change completely, without having to kiss Ren, can't you?"

"Yes," Artemis said with a short nod.

"I don't believe anyone ever explained to me why that was."

"I can explain that one, my dear," Malacoda said pleasantly. "It would have to do with the fact that we did not truly erase Ren's memory. Most of it was stored in Raha's mind, and the rest, particularly the parts pertaining to the love between Ren and Artemis, was stored within Artemis himself. However, in order to hold some else's memory, one needs to sacrifice something first. For Raha, that would have been his shape-shifting ability. Artemis also gave that ability up, including his true demonic form. Of course, as you know, he _could_ change with the proper instigation, namely, the emotions that came with kissing Ren."

"I see," Val murmured. "Well, since you can change at will, that'll help when the next Angel shows up. So what now?"

"Nothing," Artemis replied, as if it didn't matter in the least, but Valery knew better. "She'll hate me after this, so that'll be the end of it."

"So… you're going to let her go, just like that?" Val asked.

"I have once before," Artemis said shortly and pushed himself to his feet. "This… perhaps this way is better…" he murmured, almost to himself. "The last time she was half asleep, she had no idea what was happening when her memory was erased… Now she has a choice."

"But are you sure she won't still choose you?" Malacoda said, and Artemis laughed bitterly.

"If she hates me enough, then I will have no doubt."

"I see. Well, you'll need these," Malacoda said, tossing him a pack of cigarettes. "No doubt it's going to be difficult."

Artemis snorted and lit up with a small, empty grin.

"Difficult?" Val chuckled bitterly. "I doubt that very much, I bet you can _make_ her hate you with as much ease as it takes you to light up one of your precious cancer-sticks."

"Valery," Artemis sighed. "If she wants to stay, then it'll be all the harder to take her memory a second time, perhaps even impossible, because this time she _will_ fight. The shock alone would kill her. But if we don't erase her memory, the Angels surely _would_ kill her if they ever returned if we can't figure out a way to destroy them for good this time."

"If we were going to bring her back, why did we even bother to send her away in the first place?" Valery demanded in exasperation.

"If you remember, the original plan was to never bring her back at all," Malacoda said. "Keeping her and Artemis at a distance was imperative if we were to protect her. But then again, that plan also involved never setting eyes on another Angel again, either."

"We wouldn't have brought her back at all if it wasn't for _them_," Artemis replied with furious resentment, and Malacoda and Valery understood whom he was talking about at once. "If it weren't for those animals, she would never have been in danger again. It's _their_ fault."

"Artemis…" Val sighed. "You realize how dreadfully unfair that is, right? Those kids have never had anything to do with the Angels before being dragged into another universe, and you and I both know it. And stop glaring at me like that, Artemis Wolfwood Höllekonnen van Hieronymus. My glare is like a Level 17, and yours is only Level 15. I outrank you, so quit it."

Artemis snorted, stowed the medicine Malacoda had gathered in his pocket, and with a soft swish of his coat he turned and his footsteps faded away down the hall and were lost.

Val sighed and moodily nudged the broken teacup with her toe. Though he had no soul, and thus couldn't understand why Val was getting herself so worked up, Malacoda had a fair amount of experience of dealing with emotional women and a pretty rough idea as to what to do. So he patted her shoulder and made her another cup of tea.

* * *

Artemis made his silent way through the halls of the castle, passing closed doors and vacated rooms with as much substance as a shadow. However, in the last room at the end of the corridor, sitting in the dark, was Akito Sohma, and in the instant that he passed Artemis' senses slipped through the door and recognized the foul boy at once.

It would have been a nice, quiet evening if Akito had been able to stop trembling. Something about the fight that afternoon had affected him, and deeply. There had been something about that Angel… Something awful he couldn't name, but wished desperately he'd never known.

He'd felt like this, too, when he first found out the nature of his Curse. That he had to die in order for his family to live. Except this… this was different. Seeing the Angel, with her empty face, had finally driven home the fact that he was being hunted, and when they found him he would be as good as dead. It was a strange sensation, knowing someone was actively trying to kill him.

And it was all her fault. Everything that had happened to him was that Honda girl's fault. If she hadn't met Yuki or Kyo or Shigure, or if he'd gotten rid of her when he had the chance, none of it would have happened. Akito was positive of that. Perhaps if she'd just run away at seeing that Cat's true form like she was supposed to…

But _no_, she had to go and be all _noble_. And now look where it had gotten them all.

"Little tramp..." he murmured.

But of course, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. Those damned demons had made that perfectly clear. Akito's fists tightened on the chair's arms and his teeth ground in his skull. He wanted to hurt her. He wanted nothing more than rip her bloody lungs out, and his fury only festered with the knowledge that harming Tohru was impossible and would probably get him eviscerated.

But there were other ways of hurting someone without actually touching them, and Akito knew these ways oh so very well.

A quiet chuckle echoed faintly through the room and faded into the dark, and Akito smiled.

* * *

When Artemis slipped through the door to the infirmary, only the two demons Inu-Yasha and Koga looked up at his silent entrance. Artemis gave them both a curt nod and went to Tohru's bed, ignoring the Sohmas as one after another noticed he was in the room and regarded him in tense silence.

"Gluttony," he called, taking the various herbs and medicines from his pocket. Shigure let out a yelp and he and Ayame leapt out of the way as a figure rose up from the floor and grinned at Artemis. Kyo looked at the new Sinner in shock, and shivered when he realized his eyes were missing their pupils or irises. They were completely white, like an unpainted marble in the sockets of his skull.

That, fortunately, was the only unpleasant surprise. The rest of him was exactly as Kyo had imagined it would be: grotesquely fat and not in the least pleasant to look at, only made worse by the tight-fitting, full-length body suit.

"You called, Master?" said Gluttony, his voice unusually high-toned.

"Chew this but don't eat it," Artemis ordered, handing him the handful of herbs and roots without a glance.

"If I can't eat this," said Gluttony, regarding the medicine curiously and then looking up at the Sohmas, "Can I eat them?"

"No!" Kyo snapped in appalled outrage, leaping to his feet and glaring at the Sinner, but his unnerving grin only stretched wider across his flabby face.

"No, Gluttony," Artemis said calmly. "Just do as I say."

Then his eyes flicked to Kyo, and the Cat almost felt his gaze s if he'd been struck by a javelin. "And you sit down and shut your mouth."

Kyo glared furiously at Artemis, then brought his chin up and said, "You're not my Master."

"Sit down or I will throw you out of this room," Artemis snarled, his voice dangerously low, and a violent light had come into his eyes.

"Make me!" Kyo snapped back before he even knew what he was doing. In a flash too fast to follow, Artemis was standing directly in front of him, and Kyo jerked back in surprise, bringing his fists up on instinct.

"I will not have you making noise in this room while Tohru is asleep," Artemis growled menacingly. "Now I will not tell you again… _sit down_."

Kyo faltered for a brief instant, glancing at Tohru, then slowly backed away and sank into a chair, though he shot Artemis the filthiest look he could muster. The demon sneered back in triumph then turned away and began unwrapping one of Tohru's hands while the rest of the Sohmas present all breathed silent sighs of relief.

Gluttony, however, had ignored the argument and was happily chewing up Tohru's medicine, which he spit into an empty cup next to her bed. Artemis took the cup, rose, and walked over to one of the makeshift burners in the back of the room. Opening the cabinets he pulled out a pan, dumped the cup's contents in, turned the burner on and began cooking.

"You two may want these," he called over to Koga and Inu-Yasha, rummaging in one of the drawers and drawing up two white doctors' masks. "This stuff is going to start stinking in a few minutes."

"Um… wh-why do they need to wear masks?" Ritsu asked tentatively, his voice small and anxious, fearing Artemis would tear his guts out if he said anything to upset the already irritated demon. He was nervous enough with all his cousins eyeing him curiously, wondering what on earth had possessed him, of all people, to actually speak up. He was wondering that himself, actually.

"Demonic senses are more refined than a human's, and although that has its benefits, it can sometimes be overwhelming," Artemis explained after a moment, slipping a mask over his mouth and nose, and Ritsu blinked in confusion at the sudden change in tone from violent and angry to calm and courteous in absolutely no time at all. "So while you may feel slightly uncomfortable, but there will be no danger of dizziness or fainting."

"Is it really that bad?" Shigure asked, his nose wrinkling at the thought.

"If you're worried you won't be able to handle it, you can always leave," Artemis said, scathingly hopeful, but Shigure only shrugged and smiled. Almost immediately that smile fell off the face of the planet as a foul stench began to pervade the room, smelling worse than anything he could have imagined.

"Oh-_God_…" Kagura choked out, her eye streaming as she pressed her hands over her nose and mouth.

"What the hell is _in_ that stuff?" Kyo demanded, following suit.

"Plants that don't grow in your world, but the thing you smell is the bluddroot," Artemis said, removing the pan from the burner and dumping the disgusting stuff back into the cup.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong," Hatori began carefully, "But would it not be more hygienic to crush the plants with a pestle, rather than have someone masticate it?"

"Cooled bluddroot, when mixed with demon saliva and certain plants, develops into one of the strongest organic and medicinal adhesives in the multiverse," Artemis replied, dipping a delicate finger into the cup and scooping out a coin-sized dollop of the brownish-green remedy. Lifting Tohru's un-bandaged hand he smeared the bluddroot into the deep gashes on her palms and gently pinched the skin together. Hatori subconsciously leaned in, fascinated as her wounds actually closed up without even a trace of a scar, as if they had not been there at all.

Artemis repeated the procedure with Tohru's other hand, then finally stood and tossed the entire cup into the trash.

"Why don't you just wash it?" Ayame asked. "That's a waste of a perfectly good mug."

"Now that the stuff's cooled, it'll never come off no matter what I do to it," Artemis said, cleaning up the bloodied bandages. "It dissolves within the body, but outside it's literally indestructible."

His gaze lingered over Tohru, his face inscrutable, but for an instant, Kyo, glancing up, saw something profoundly sad flash into his golden eyes. The next moment it was gone, however, and Artemis turned away. Kyo shook himself and dismissed it as his own imagination, yet unaware that that look of anguish would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"She should wake in a few hours," Artemis said quietly, and without another word or backward glance, turned and walked out of the infirmary.

* * *

Tohru felt as if she were in a very deep, dark place, somewhere near the center of the world, as it was very warm. Something unseen was pressing down on her from all sides, so she couldn't really move, but that was alright. She rather liked just peacefully lying here, without a care in the world.

That wasn't exactly the reason, although she feared to admit it, because she knew if she moved this place would all disappear, and when it did something awful would find her. So she stayed where she was, safe, secure, not daring to make a peep.

But the awful something found her anyway. It tugged at the closed doors of her mind, scratching and sniffing around her walls, growling. When she began to feel the dull ache in her palms, she knew she was waking up, and wished like mad that she wasn't. She didn't want to face that monster, and what it would ultimately bring, but it was coming regardless, and she knew that, one way or another, she was going to lose her sanctuary.

Tohru awoke very slowly, feeling as if she were moving through the graveyard mists of Death itself. But after a few minutes of silent struggle she finally managed to open her eyes and stare blearily at the ceiling.

"Oh, hey, she's awake!" cried a voice somewhere off to her right. More voices joined in, but she couldn't understand what they were saying, much less who was speaking. Then, after some tumultuous confusion and then silence, a vaguely familiar face swam in and out of focus above her.

"Tohru-san, can you hear me?" the face asked, sounding concerned.

"…Yah…"

"Good," it said in obvious relief. "Thought we'd lost you there for a moment. Do you know who I am?"

"Cn't see you…" she muttered. "All… fuzzy…"

"Is she losing her eyesight!" demanded an alarmed voice.

"No, Kyo, it looks like she's still a bit sleep-muddled," said another voice.

"Kyo…?" Tohru echoed faintly.

"Yeah, I'm right here," said Kyo, leaning in so she could see him. "It took you long enough to wake up, I thought you were going to sleep _forever_."

"Wha' time izzit?" she asked, blinking in a vain attempt to get rid of the blurriness.

"Eight-thirty P.M. You slept for about seven hours."

"Wha' 'appened?"

There was a pause, and then, "You don't remember?"

Tohru was quiet for a moment, trying to dredge up what had happened. The memories danced away from her recollection for a while, and then suddenly whipped around and struck her like a lightning bolt.

"Oh…" she murmured. "Yeah… I 'member now. Y'ki?"

"Asleep," said Hatori quietly. "He's fine."

"Good…" she sighed. "Thin' I'll sleep… sommore…"

"Alright, Tohru-san, we'll be here when you wake up."

"Mm…" Tohru replied, and fell back into blissful unconsciousness. She knew she had to face the monster, but not now. It could wait until she was ready.

The next time Tohru awoke, she felt much more alert. Slowly she opened her eyes, but found there was no difference. The room was completely dark. But she couldn't get back to sleep, no matter how much she tried, so she carefully pushed herself up on her elbow, wincing as her entire body protested, and looked around, trying the pierce the veil of night. A soft chiming sounded from the hallway clock, telling her it was four in the morning and that everyone was probably asleep. Shadowy figures were scattered about the room, in chairs or on the extra beds, their breathing that of a dreamer's, like a lazy ocean hugging the shore, slow and peaceful and calm.

"Morning."

Tohru jumped and whipped around, though she immediately regretted it as a lance of pain shot from one end of her skull to the other. Clutching her head and suppressing a groan, she called out, "Who's there?"

"It's just me," huffed a familiar rough voice.

"Sorry, Kyo-kun, did I wake you?" she asked, finding his vague form sitting next to her.

"No, I was awake," he said. "Have a good sleep?"

"Yeah."

"And you're alright now?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she assured him, almost feeling him relax. "I've just got a headache, is all."

"I saw some Advil in the medicine cabinet. Hold on, I'll get you some," Kyo said, rising and making his way around the various sleeping bodies towards the other end of the room, and Tohru had to admire that he didn't bump into a thing the entire way.

Then, the sound of water being poured, and he was back at her bedside, putting a glass into her hand and two pills in the other.

"Thanks," she said gratefully and downed them all.

"It'll take about an hour to kick in, but that should help," Kyo said, sitting down once more and stretching.

"How do you know?"

"I take it a lot when it rains," he replied. "'S'not much, but it helps."

"I thought you only got tired," Tohru mused, propping up her pillows so she could sit up better, and glad it was dark so Kyo couldn't see her wince when pain flared up her arms and across her shoulders. "I didn't know you got headaches, too."

"Sometimes," he said shortly. "It's no big deal."

Tohru smiled and encroached no further on the matter, knowing Kyo hated to admit just how much the rain affected him.

"Is everyone here?" she asked, changing the subject as she looked around.

"Most of 'em," said Kyo. "'Cept Akito… but I guess that's to be expected."

"Has… has Artemis been here?"

"Yeah, he came a little while after we got back and put some stuff on your hands to seal them up."

"Bluddroot?" Tohru said, running her fingers over her still tender palms.

"Hm-mm. But he hasn't come near since. Why?"

"…No reason. Has Yuki woken up yet?"

"For a little while a few hours ago, but he didn't stay awake long," Kyo said. "Hatori thinks he may be up sometime today. Do you think you could eat something?"

Tohru blinked at the abrupt change of subject, shook herself, and said, "Yes, I'd love something."

"Good," he said approvingly. "That stupid Rat wouldn't eat anything. Here, it's not much, but Hatori said it would be better to start with simple foods."

A small loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese were pressed into her hands, and she bit into them appreciatively.

"Thanks," she told him between mouthfuls, and he grunted a "You're welcome" in return, and they both relapsed into a comfortable silence.

"So," Tohru began after she'd finished. "After I can move again, do you still want to practice martial arts with me?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Kyo, grinning. "Of course!"

"Great," she said, smiling warmly. "We haven't had much time with everything that's been happening."

From there they talked back and forth about what they would do after Tohru could move again, but after a while Tohru became quieter and quieter until finally she fell asleep altogether. Kyo smiled quietly to himself and settled back in his chair, waiting for the sun to rise, but the sandman found him first and before he knew it dawn had passed him by and jumped right into its zenith.

"Kyo, wake up."

Someone was gently shaking his shoulder and Kyo grunted, pulling away from the offender and rolling over.

"Come on, get up, Akito wants us."

"Get lost…" Kyo growled drowsily, refusing to open his eyes, but someone was shaking him again, and finally he cracked a lid and glared blearily in Shigure's direction. The Dog smiled softly and stepped back out of striking range.

"Glad to see you've decided to join the land of the living at last," he said.

"What the hell do you want?" Kyo snapped irritably, trying to remember the remnants of a rather pleasant dream he'd been having, but it was slipping from his brain like sand through a sieve. Looking round the room, he noticed that besides himself and the Dog, plus Tohru and Yuki, no one else was in the room.

"Well, aren't we touchy this morning," Shigure said, grinning as Kyo scowled at him. "I just came to tell you that Akito has requested our presence."

"Yeah, so what?" Kyo spat, rolling over again.

"He wants us _all_ to come to his room," Shigure continued. "Surprisingly, that includes you."

"What!" Kyo cried, jumping to his feet.

"If you would mind keeping your voice down, Tohru and Yuki are still asleep," Shigure reminded him, and Kyo looked in Tohru's direction, making sure he hadn't woken her. But she simply stirred slightly and snuggled deeper into her blankets.

"Why does he want to see me?" Kyo demanded in a hissing whisper. Then suddenly his gaze turned suspicious and he leveled a glare in Shigure's direction. "Shigure, if you're jerking me around, I swear…"

"No, no, no!" Shigure said quickly, waving his hand nervously. "Akito wants us all to attend him, says he has something very important to discuss, and it's important we all hear it, nothing more!"

Kyo's brow knitted, wondering what on earth Akito wanted to talk to him about, and the more he thought abut it, the more it worried him.

"Well, are you coming or not?" Shigure asked, standing in the doorway. Kyo hesitated as something tight and uneasy clenched in his gut, glanced at Tohru one more time, and reluctantly followed Shigure out the door.

It was not long before he found himself standing in the Head Sohma's dimly lit room, trying to get his eyes to adjust as he looked around. The rest of his cousins were already seated on the floor before their Master, rigid and silent.

"Ah, there you are Shigure…" Akito said pleasantly from his chair, his warm smile making Kyo shudder slightly. "And you've brought Kyo. Come sit."

They both bowed and moved to obey, the others watching in quiet anxiety as they settled themselves on the floor and waited for Akito to speak.

The Head Sohma swept his cobalt gaze over his family members at his leisure, reveling in the feeling of dread that had settled over them like a cloud.

"Well, I suppose you're all wondering why I've called you here, so I'll get right to the point," Akito began. "I've given this matter a lot of consideration, and I've decided that it is in our best interest and welfare. Hatori, when this Angel affair is over and we have all returned home, you will erase Honda-san's memory of us and the Zodiac Curse."

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or Inu-Yasha, and thus, sadly, do not make any money off these works. Also, the Sinners were actually of my own design in their earlier creation, but I never really polished them up, so now I'm just gonna kind of copy the Hommunculi from Fullmetal Alchemist, which, of course, I don't own either, except they won't be _quite_ the same. That's the cool thing about Fanfiction, I can rip anything I want and I don't get sued! Woo-hoo!**

Hello again, and welcome to my author's notes! It's been quite a while, hasn't it? Thought I'd died, didn't you? Well, I did. But I got better, and now I'm back! Yay!

Anyway, this chapter was actually going to be longer, but you all complained so much about the last chapter being so lengthy, so I decided to just post, even though nothing really happens in this chapter, since you're all a bunch of impatient whiners. No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding! You're all wonderful, and I really appreciate your support, blah, blah, blah…

Anyhow, the stuff about Kyo will be spoiled in the next chapters since I didn't get many negatives (sorry to those of you who don't know!) and since I can't think of anything else that would fit what I want to happen, so yeah… But don't worry, it will be awesome!

Also, I've been reworking the original story with Artemis and the rest, so for the moment you won't find it on fictionpress, but it may show up pretty soon. I'll let you know if it does, to those of you who're interested. Which should be all of you, since Artemis seems to be really popular. As he should be, since he's awesome. And hot. Really hot. Yeah, I'm in love with my own creation. Sad, isn't it? Oh well.

Now right about here I would be answering various reviews, but since the people that run this website are (EXPLETIVES CENSORED) and set up STUPID rules about not answering reviews for some ungodly, inexplicable reason, I am at a loss for what to say. So you should all complain and tell whoever the hell runs this site that they can shove their rules, because that's just not cool. I mean who do they think they are? I have a right to write whatever the crud I want, and if that involves responding to reviewers (which make the sunshine happen I might add) then that's what I'm going to do, dang it!

Okay, I'm done ranting.

In regards to the reviews themselves, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Especially the ones commending me on crossing Inu-Yasha into Fruits Basket. I've read several crossovers trying to do the exact same thing, and I must say most are lacking in everything that might make it a good story. So now I know what I'm going try and do in later chapters will probably succeed, so look forward to lots more crossovers into pretty much anything I can think of.

Aufwiedersehn,

Raha


	37. Confrontation

**WARNING: CHAPTER CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS**

**Tohru's Demons**

**Thirty-Seven: Confrontation**

* * *

A thick fog of horrific silence descended like Death upon Kyo and the other members of the Zodiac Curse. Akito settled back in his chair, his serene, silky smile as soft and understanding as could be, while his icy blue gaze traveled slowly over his cousins and savored every moment.

It was Momiji that recovered enough to speak first, the beginnings of a profound sense of lamentation welling up in his light brown eyes.

"Er-erased…?" he gasped, his voice small and trembling, though behind it lurked a wailing sorrow crying to be let loose. Next to him, Kisa was sobbing silently into her hands, her head bowed and her little body making itself as small as possible behind Hatori in a pitiful attempt to hide her grief from Akito. Hiro could only watch from the corner of his eye, his fists clenched in his lap, pretending _hard_ that he didn't care and wishing he could just wrap his arms around her shaking shoulders so much it hurt.

Ayame couldn't seem to remember how to breathe, or move, or even think for that matter. He simply sat and stared, trying to comprehend the overwhelming shock of pain in his heart, and then the vast chasm of numb emptiness that followed. Vaguely, he heard Shigure's almost silent curse and dazedly looked up to see a rare show of anger, despair, and fear flash in the Dog's eyes before his friend regained himself and his mask of indifferent neutrality. Haru, however, had no intention of staying quiet, or rather Black Haru didn't, and the Ox could feel his other self coming on like a level five hurricane, so strong even Rin could feel it from across the room, and hoped against all odds that he wouldn't try anything too stupid…

Behind them Ritsu fiddled with the carpet, his lips pursed tightly and his eyes unusually dark as he listened to Kagura draw in quick, faltering breaths while his heart constricted tighter and tighter until he thought it just might collapse in on itself like a black hole. Kureno, if he could have read the Monkey's thoughts, would have agreed that he felt much the same way, though he managed to keep very still and very quiet, his hands linked in front of him, as he stood just outside the door that joined his room to Akito's.

Kyo was waiting for the nightmare to end and at the same time trying to get his mind around a world without Tohru. He found it impossible. Somehow, somewhere along the way, his heart had convinced itself that a life without Tohru wasn't a life worth living. Somewhere along the way, his mind had agreed. It was just now, at this very moment, on the brink of losing Tohru forever, that Kyo finally realized what that meant. Or perhaps he had known all along, and simply needed to accept it, because somewhere in all his blind misadventures and stumbling about in circles he had finally found something good, a light he could latch onto and follow out of the dark path set before him before he was even born. For once in his life he'd found someone who needed him, someone he'd needed for a long time, and _no one_, not even God himself, was going to take it away.

Hatori, however, kept his head down as he worked to keep his emotions under control. If Akito saw, he would know something was up and the Dragon wasn't sure yet if it was wise to let the boy know Tohru's memories were completely protected. He just hoped the others wouldn't let on what they knew, but a quick glance around told him they'd completely forgotten. Dropping a mask of calm over his face he finally looked up and gave a short nod, while inside, behind all that cool indifference and detachment, Hatori may have been grinning.

"…believe me, my sweet little Rabbit, it's for the best," Akito was saying, almost as if he were saddened as well although he eyes were practically dancing. "This Honda-san, she's a monster, look what she's done to my family. She's corrupted all of you, turned you against your savior, your one true friend, your _God_."

"How can you _say_ that?" Kyo said hoarsely, eyes practically sparking with fury and disbelief. "After everything she's done? Have you forgotten she's saved all our lives, _your_ life! And this is the thanks you give her, by stealing the only happy memories she's probably ever had since her _mother_ died!"

Akito's good mood deflated like a punctured puffer fish.

"_Don't you **ever** speak to me like that, you **monster**!_" he shrieked, grabbing the first thing he could reach and hurtling it at the Cat. Fortunately for Kyo, however, that thing was Akito's bed pillow. "My word is _law_, how _dare_ you oppose me? I'm only looking out for your well-being, and this is the thanks _I_ get?"

"You're _what_? How is erasing Tohru's memory looking out for _us_?" Haru demanded as he leapt to his feet, practically berserk with rage, his hands itching to pick up the pillow and throw it back at his God. The other Sohmas were trying very hard to calm the Ox with their eyes alone, but in front of Akito all they could do was look desperate and hope the unstoppable juggernaut didn't get killed.

And then Akito let out a low, soft chuckle that always managed to send icy shivers sprinting up and down their spines.

"Oh, Hatsuharu, you're so funny…" Akito said quietly, smiling. "So funny and stupid and slow on the uptake… just like the story, wouldn't you say? You remember the story, don't you, Haru?"

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING!" the Ox exploded, throwing all caution to the winds.

The next thing Akito threw was a porcelain vase. Haru rocked back on his heels and then sat down hard in surprise as the thing shattered on the floor in front of him and several jolts of pain shot him in the chest, knocking him breathless. Broken pieces had flown everywhere, one just missing Kisa's eye as it ricocheted off her cheek, leaving a long thin line of blood. Another had gone clean through Shigure's palm, and a third and fourth shard had embedded themselves in Ayame's upper arm.

Blood dribbled down Haru's chest from several very deep wounds, but he was too shocked to really notice, and Ayame was so frightened out of his wits at the sight of his own blood that he didn't feel much of anything else. Shigure, however, couldn't quite tear his eyes away from his hand, mind reeling from the darkly red steady flow and the nauseating sight of something that _should not be there_, wondering dimly what he would do when it stopped being extremely disturbing and started being extremely painful.

"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" Akito asked quietly, slipping from his chair to kneel before the Ox, his hands sliding up Haru's arms to come to a rest on his shoulders. He seemed not to see the distressing amount of blood at all. "I'm sorry," he said unapologetically. "But it's the truth, Haru. It must be true that you're stupid if you can't even see what that little bitch has done to you."

"What has she done to me?" Haru asked dully, trying to get his mind to start working again. Akito pushed to his feet and turned away, meandering languidly over to the window.

"Can't you see? The girl's been _lying_ to you. All of you," he added, turning back to face them. "She's even lied to me, you saw her. She thinks she can break the Curse. _She _can, an idiot like her, who doesn't even understand our pain?"

"But she doesn't need to understand!" Kyo burst out in desperation. "She's accepted us, and that's all that matters!"

Akito gave an outright bark of laughter, and it was a long time before he stopped, and then suddenly he stopped all at once.

"Oh, Shigure, you're bleeding," he said as if he'd just noticed. At this remark, Hatori's brows knitted and he shifted a little, but as he was sitting near the back of the room and Shigure in the front, he couldn't see what was wrong.

"And Ayame, Kisa, and Haru, too, I see," Akito went on carelessly, and this time Hatori actually stood up and walked forward, his brows knitted worriedly. But when Shigure turned to look at him, the Dragon spotted the Dog's hand, and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the alarming, and rather sizable stain now soaking into Shigure's robes. In then next instant Hatori was at his friend's side, helping a now very pale Dog to stand as he swept his eyes over Ayame and the other two to assess the damage.

And then something intense hit his heart, so alien and strange that at first Hatori didn't know what to make of it, but it wasn't very long before he recognized the foreign feeling for what it was: sheer, abounding, immeasurable hatred, so ferociously powerful and pure it could have fueled ten-thousand wars, and it was directed straight at Akito. Hatori was almost surprised the foul boy didn't drop dead at once, and was not a little disappointed.

"I'll… take him to the infirmary, Akito-sama," Hatori murmured quietly, averting his gaze and trying to master the bewildering sensation writhing in his gut, howling in absolute outrage. Akito nodded and waved his hand lazily, seating himself once more in his chair, a detestable, nasty smile twisting his mouth.

"Of course, and take the rest with you, I've finished with them."

Numbly, the others stood as well and began to file out of the room on shaky legs, mouths dry and bodies stiff with the effort of holding too much in at once.

"Except you."

Kyo paused, halfway to the door and the last to leave, feeling Akito's eyes on his back.

"Yes, Kyo, I want a word with you. Sit."

Out of the corner of his eye, Kyo noticed Kagura hang back and glance worriedly over her shoulder at him, but Rin gave the Boar a nudge and a shake of her head, so small her long black hair barely moved at all. Kagura swallowed, shot Kyo an encouraging look, and followed the Horse out the door, too upset to notice the golden-eyed shadow lingering just within her line of view.

"Come back, my poor little monster. Won't you sit down?" Akito asked.

Kyo approached the Head Sohma slowly and sat as far away as he could without insulting Akito or making conversation impractical.

"Yes, Akito-sama?" he ventured after a moment of uneasy silence.

"I wanted to know how our bet was coming along," Akito began, and Kyo wished he hadn't spoken at all, preferring the silence to what he knew was approaching.

"Surely you haven't forgotten what we talked about?"

"No," Kyo said carefully. "I haven't."

"Well? Have you beaten Yuki yet?"

"…No," Kyo murmured reluctantly, staring intently at a spot on the floor and trying to make himself interested in it so he might somehow shut out the rush of shame rising in his cheeks.

"You can't do it, can you?" Akito asked, and Kyo's fists tightened into hard knots, his fingernails digging into his flesh. "You can't win, can you? You just fail, again and again, don't you? I told you that you would, didn't I?"

The Cat didn't know when he had jumped to his feet, but abruptly he was standing, unable to bear the waves of desperation and worry and rage that pounded against his ribcage like an angry sea trying to destroy a continent.

"**_I WILL BEAT HIM!"_ **Kyo shouted with every ounce of his being and every shard of hope he had ever picked up along his winding way through life, mustering all his strength and passion into one tight little ball and throwing it out with so much force that it exploded before his eyes. And once it had, for some reason, Kyo felt a little bit better, because this time he actually believed it. This time, he had something else to fight for other than his own meaningless right to live.

"You say that over and over, and I have yet to see results," Akito hissed coldly. "They're only words. Stop trying to convince yourself you can do the impossible, and give it up. You'll _never_ beat Yuki, and when everything is over, after you've graduated, I'll escort you myself to your prison. The monster will be locked away in the little dungeon of his very own forever, until the day he dies."

"I _won't_ give up, Akito," Kyo said firmly. "I'll keep fighting until the end."

"You just don't understand, do you?" Akito asked in disdainful condescension. "There's _no_ _hope_. You'll _never_ win. It's how you were _made_ since the very _beginning_. It's was carved out by your fate, by your own blood. There's _nothing_ you can do. This is the dark road you must walk. You will never be accepted into this family, and that's just how it is always going to be."

"I don't care whether I'm accepted or not… not anymore," Kyo replied, without even pausing to think about it. "She's accepted me, and that's all that matters now."

"You mean _Tohru,_ don't you?" Akito said, and something dangerous flickered behind his chilling smile. "She _has_, hasn't she? She even accepted your true form… didn't she?"

For a moment Kyo couldn't breathe.

"Wh-what…? How… How did you know…"

"She's just _so_ perfect, isn't she?" Akito went on, his cheerful tone suddenly entwined with venom. "In fact, she's _too_ perfect. After all, how on earth could any _normal_ person bare to look upon something as grotesque as your true form, without a hint of fear? Without running away? You know what I think? I think she must be a demon, a monster just like you, don't you think so?"

"_Stop it."_ Kyo snarled, his fists clenched at his sides and his face scarlet with rage. "You don't know what happened then, you couldn't possibly!"

"Couldn't I?"

"If you did, then you would have seen how _scared_ she was!" Kyo shouted, unconsciously advancing on his Master in an almost menacing manner. Akito's face darkened considerably, his features twisting into a horrible look that could only signify a want for brutality and viciousness. But Kyo went on regardless.

"You would have seen her shaking so hard she could barely stay upright! You would have heard her voice trembling so much she could hardly even speak! I _was_ there, I was right next to her, so close I could literally _smell_ her fear! But she didn't run away because—"

Kyo stopped, horrified, and hastily dropped his eyes.

"Because what?" Akito said, his gaze loaded like a shotgun full of rock-salt.

_Because she knew that if she left… I might never have come back, and never trusted anyone else again. She didn't want that, she wanted us all to go on living together, to be happy…_

_She still wants that. _

"Is it because you think she loves you?"

Kyo jumped and his head shot up so fast he swayed unsteadily.

"Oh, wouldn't that just be marvelous?" Akito went on. "If the two monsters got together, wouldn't that just be grand? Or perhaps…"

Akito was quiet for a long moment, scrutinizing the Cat closely, and Kyo felt his stomach twist uneasily. And then Akito nodded, slowly, as if he had just figured something out.

"Or perhaps you might love her in return?"

Kyo couldn't speak, his throat had suddenly closed itself, so all he could do was gape in shock… and fear.

"You, who killed your own mother, Kyo?"

That knocked everything out of him and nearly snapped his heart in half, the pain of it was squeezing him so hard.

"It…" he chocked.

"How could you have the audacity to love someone else, when you didn't even love your own _mother_?"

"It wasn't…" he tried again.

"You didn't even mourn her death and now you think you can love someone else, an _outsider_?"

"_It wasn't my fault!" _Kyo finally cried. "It wasn't! I don't care what anyone says, _my mom didn't die because of me!_"

"Stop telling me these filthy lies!" Akito snapped. "You did, and everyone knows it! Even your "father" Kasuma knows it, he just doesn't want to tell you because of his foolish guilt over the last Cat!"

"Stop it! That isn't true!"

"Or didn't you know that? Kasuma only took you in to atone for that pitiful, misplaced, selfish guilt he felt over his own dead grandfather, not because he cared anything for you!"

"STOP IT!"

"And now you think you can just forget all that, just forget that your mother who actually loved and protected you, was in the end killed by her own disgraceful, disgusting son? That you can just leave all that behind and fall in love!"

"**STOP!"** Kyo shouted. He was on his knees now, hands pressing against the floor, teeth bared and eyes squeezed shut. His breath came in short, shuddering gasps and his shoulders trembled.

"Please…" he begged quietly. "Please… just _stop_. Just _stop._"

"Do you love her or not?"

"No…!" Kyo cried vehemently, shaking his head. "No, I don't! I… I don't love her!"

"Good boy..." Akito murmured, stepping so close to the Cat his yukata brushed against Kyo's bowed head. "That's a good boy… You at least understand you can never have that…"

Kyo could only nod helplessly. What else was he supposed to do? If he had admitted how he felt, how he _truly_ felt, Akito would definitely have hurt Tohru, and while she was in bed… Kyo couldn't have that, so he had protected her in the only way he could.

"Kyo… are you crying?" Akito asked, coming forward a few steps.

"No," Kyo replied automatically even as a few warm somethings slid down his face and fell into the carpet between his hands.

"Why are you crying? Did I make you cry?"

Kyo's fingers buried themselves in the carpet and gripped it hard. He remained silent.

"I'm only telling you this because you have to understand," Akito explained, kneeling in front of the Cat and wrapping his thin, frail, breakable arms around Kyo's shoulders.

"I'm only saying these mean and hurtful things to you because you have to know the truth: that you can't smash this fate you've been given. You can't fall in love. You can't be loved. You're a monster, Kyo, less than the most worthless human being."

Slowly, gently, Akito pulled Kyo closer so that he could whisper directly into his ear.

"I've decided that our bet is off. You will be confined, immediately, to your room for now until we return to our own world."

He felt Kyo's entire body go rigid, and smiled into the Cat's hair, running a hand through it and twirling it playfully in his long fingers.

"But… you promised… our bet…." Kyo stammered, trying to pull away, uncomprehending, it just wasn't _true_…

Akito grabbed a handful of the Cat's hair and yanked hard, holding Kyo fast.

"I think that girl has given you a false sense of hope," Akito said softly. "Hope isn't something you—or any of us—can afford. It will only cause you pain, don't you see that? No, I think putting you away now is for the best. Kureno."

Dimly, as Akito released him, Kyo saw the Rooster step into the room and give a small bow, his face inscrutable.

"Yes, Akito-sama?"

"Escort Kyo to his room, and have his meals served taken to him there."

"I will do as you wish," Kureno replied dully.

"And Kureno? You will tell no one. If anyone asks, tell them Kyo is sick and is not to be disturbed. Kyo, you will not leave your room. That is all."

With that Akito turned away and waved a lazy hand. Kyo opened his mouth, but anything he might have said simply wouldn't come out. But he had to say something, _anything_ at all, but Kureno was already at his shoulder. Kyo's legs, however, refused to work, an Kureno was gripping his arm, and everything was happening so fast.

He needed to see Tohru.

"**_NO!"_**

Kyo was up like a shot. He had to see her, there was simply no way he could let this happen before he saw her. Abruptly, he turned and bolted for the door, without another thought.

"KURENO! STOP HIM!"

The Rooster was in the way. Kyo tried two things at once, stopping in his tracks and running full-tilt, and ended up barreling headfirst into Kureno and falling to the floor in a heap of arms and legs.

Hands seized a double fist-full of his hair and _wrenched_ upward. Kyo yelped, and winced as Akito's fist grazed his cheek. And then Akito's pale fingers closed around Kyo's throat.

Without thinking, Kyo grabbed the boy's wrists and pushed him away, and Akito just started screaming and screaming in an incoherent stream, thrashing and writhing as hard as he could, and Kyo held on for dear life, trying to keep his God from hurting either of them. Part of him, in the back of his mind, was quite horrified at what he was doing. The other part just wanted to live. It had never wanted to live so much until now.

Akito shouted something, but Kureno had already left, sprinting down the hall towards the infirmary as fast as his legs could carry him. Kyo held on tighter, his grip like iron, and then Akito let out the loudest shriek left, gave a tremendous _heave_, and—

_CRACK._

Kyo froze, feeling rather than hearing the tiny snap of the bone in Akito's wrist. Akito had stopped moving, staring at his arm, and then at Kyo's hand, and finally he looked up into Kyo's eyes, his own shocked gaze wide and, for a few moments, completely blank.

"You… you hurt me," Akito gasped incredulously. Kyo slowly let go of Akito and backed away, his mouth open with surprise as he stared at Akito's bewildered features.

"A… Akito… I-I didn't…"

"You actually _hurt_ me..." Akito repeated, gazing in wonder at his wrist.

"I didn't mean…" Kyo began desperately, lifting his hand in a futile gesture, but Akito backed quickly away, holding his arm to his chest.

"You stay away from me. Don't touch me."

"Akito—"

"Get out."

"But—"

"I said **_get out_**!"

"Akito!"

Kyo whirled to see Hatori standing in the door, breathless and disheveled, and staring at the two in astonished alarm.

"Ha... Hatori… Akito's wrist, I swear I didn't—"

"Kyo, you can explain later. Go."

"But…"

"No. Just go," Hatori repeated, stepping into the room and straightening his tie.

"To your room," Akito hissed. "And don't you _dare_ come out."

Kyo shot Akito one last desperate look and fled.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. It would be _soooooo_ angsty right now if I did, though. Ah, the joy of angst.**

Well, well, well, guess who's back? And a few months earlier than expected, eh? Bet you didn't see that one coming.

As to the story, JESUS that was pretty intense. I wrote it all in one sitting and now I'm all wiped out. Actually, I've been working on it for a few weeks, but I could never quite get it started just right. I think I did pretty well for myself. Hopefully.

I might have gotten a little carried away with the exploding porcelain vase and all, but I've seen something similar happen—in my own kitchen, no less—which involved heights and a glass bowl. And I hear porcelain is extremely explodable so it's fairly believable, I suppose, given Akito's strength when he's in one of his rages.

Due to that, this chappie was pretty dark, eh? Probably due to Akito being in it the entire time. And this fic started out so nice, too. Ah, well, this is just the beginning. It's gonna get darker before it gets lighter, so hold on to your butts.

Speaking of butts, there's a very jiggely one in the next chapter, so it shouldn't be too horrible.

Well, that's all for now.

Thanks for your wonderful and awesome reviews! With your twirling it the earth will spin! With your pushing them the clouds go by! With your pulling it the tide comes in!

(Taken—and probably butchering—from _My Fair Lady_(WHICH I DON'T OWN EITHER))

Signing off,

Your Lord and Master,

Raha


	38. Protectors and the Protected

**Tohru's Demons**

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Protectors and the Protected**

* * *

"Hatori," Akito murmured once Kyo had gone. 

"Hmm?"

"The bet's off, Hatori," the boy said, his eyes burning.

"…Pardon?"

"I'll lock that monster up forever," Akito went on, as if he hadn't heard the doctor. "Until the day he _dies_, I'll never let him free."

Hatori, for a moment, bowed his head, his eyes closed. He nodded, not trusting his voice.

"And when that thing does go… Tell Yuki to feed his corpse to the rats, would you? I think he'll like that. Don't you think so, Hatori?"

Hatori gave the smallest of nods, feeling a little sick.

"Akito-sama, you should rest. You don't look well," he said quietly, not making eye contact as he dug into his medical kit. "Here, I can bandage your wrist, and then I want you to lie down and sleep, alright?"

"Alright…" Akito agreed, and Hatori let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

An hour later, Hatori walked back into the infirmary with a sigh. Glancing around, he noted that everything had not fallen apart the moment he left. Shigure was sitting on Tohru's bed, his hand wrapped in gauze and bandages, still staring into nothing, as if he had simply shut himself off from the rest of the world.

Tohru was awake and talking quietly to him, about nothing and anything she could think of while Valery sat behind the Dog and rubbed his shoulders. If anything could have made Shigure deliriously happy, Hatori thought, it the was attention he was getting now from two very attract—er, young girls, but it didn't look like Shigure was going to even respond any time soon. Sitting on the writer's other side was Ayame, sometimes throwing in his falsely cheerful two-bits in a vain attempt to get his friend to talk to him, his own arm and shoulder wrapped snugly in bandages. Kisa had her arms glued around Tohru's waist, her cheek, the one without the band-aid, resting against the girl's shoulder. The poor little Tiger had finally stopped shaking, at least, Hiro noted as he stood comfortingly nearby.

Hatsuharu lay on his back in the bed across from Tohru, his feet and legs propped up on pillows and his arms crossed behind his head. His entire chest was covered in bandages, courtesy of Valery in Hatori's sudden absence. He'd only had time to pull out the shards before a frantic Kureno had hurled into the room, shouting about a fight…

The other Sohmas, sans Kyo, ranged listlessly around in room in varying degrees of dejected silence. The only other people in the room were Millie and Rahallion, curled up asleep on Tohru's pillow, the little girl in her bunny form, her ears twitching back and forth every now and again. Inu-Yasha and his group were no where to be found, as was Artemis and the other two demons that resided in the castle.

"Ha'ri?"

Hatori shook himself and focused his gaze on Ayame.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? You were a bit spaced out for a few seconds there."

"Yes, I'm fine, Ayame. Just thinking. How's Shigure?"

"He still won't talk to us, not even to dear Tohru-kun. Ha'ri, what's _wrong_ with him?"

"Don't worry, he'll be alright, he's just a little shocked is all. He never did handle pain very well," Hatori assured, giving Shigure an unreadable glance, his eyes carefully avoiding the Dog's hand, and went over to Haru.

"How are _you_ doing?"

"Alright," Haru muttered, his eyes shifting away, and his voice more monotone than usual. Hatori gave an understanding nod and went back to Ayame to check his shoulder, then he sat down in a vacant chair, pulling it slightly closer to Shigure, and resisted the urge to put his head in his hands. He could do that when he was alone.

"Hatori-san?" Tohru said quietly.

"Yes?"

"I realize… that this is really none of my business… But I need to know… what happened."

Hatori, his mouth set in a thin, straight line, glanced at Tohru and wondered, again, what he was going to say. He'd known there was no way she wouldn't ask, but he _couldn't_ just tell her Akito had put holes in several of her friends, either. Their Master had made it quite clear before, on several occasions, that he did not like Tohru to know any more than was necessary about their family.

But… to Hatori, she _was_ family.

"Hatori-san?"

The others had drifted closer and held their breaths as Hatori inhaled and exhaled slowly, and finally turned to face the girl. But he remained silent, unable to think of anything to say.

"It… it was nothing, Tohru-kun," Ayame put in unhelpfully, trying, and failing fantastically, to look convincing. "We… we fell, is all. You don't need to worr—"

"You fell," Val repeated, lifting a delicate eyebrow and looking, to Ayame's dismay, wholly unbelieving of the pathetic lie. "You, Shigure, and Haru have _holes_ in you, and you expect us to believe you fell? Perhaps you'd also like to tell us it was into a pit full spikes that just happened to be in the middle of the hallway, is that right?"

Ayame opened his mouth, closed it, sighed, and shook him head with a rueful smile.

"Can't get anything past you, can I?"

"Damn straight," Val replied smugly.

"Look," Tohru said in a tone uncharacteristically serious. "I understand why you all wouldn't be comfortable telling me what happened… but, the truth is, I _have_ to know. This is my home, and _your_ safe-house, and I will _not_ allow anything—or anyone—to hurt you while you're here, alright?"

The Sohmas were quiet as they absorbed that, gazing at Tohru as if they had never seen her before, or rather, as if they had just seen her in an entirely different way, though not at all unpleasant.

And suddenly, it felt as if a terrible weight had been lifted. For so long, each of them had worked, in their own way, to protect those they loved. Sometimes that protection had come at the cost of their life-long happiness, and sometimes, many times, it had failed completely.

But it was an entirely new experience to be protected by someone _else_, and what's more, to be altogether guaranteed of that protection. It was a wonderfully liberating feeling.

"It was Akito," Hatori said at length. "He got a little angry today…" It was there he trailed off, seeing the look of horrified incredulity pass over the two girl's faces.

"A _little_!" Val choked out after a few moments of struggle. "You call that a _little_?"

"_Why_?" Tohru asked quietly, looking around at them all with wide, sorrowful eyes. "Why would he do that?"

"He… he wanted Grandpa Hatori to…" Kisa began, but she couldn't finish. Instead, she buried her face in Tohru's shirt and started to cry.

"Kisa…" Tohru murmured quietly, trying to twist around to get a better look at the Tiger. "Kisa, it's okay. What did he want Hatori-san to do…?"

"He asked me to erase your memories," Hatori supplied coolly, completely unfazed. "After our return to our own world..."

Everyone was deathly quiet, unable to look at Tohru or each other, and for a moment the only sound was Kisa's growing sobs, all thinking of what that meant.

It meant that without Malacoda, Lucifer, and Artemis to threaten him into submission, Akito would be in control once more. Or, at least, he would have the little control he possessed when it came to Tohru, though the inferiority complex he'd developed where she was concerned would be easily remedied with a few choice words.

"Oh, is that all?" Tohru asked calmly, and the Sohma's heads jerked up.

"What do you mean, 'is that all'?" Hiro demanded after a few seconds of shocked silence. "Akito wants your memories erased, and you're acting like—"

"Hiro-kun," Tohru interrupted gently, "My memories can't be erased."

Another few seconds of silence passed, even more shocked than the last.

"What?" Momiji managed to gasp, not daring to believe it.

"I'm sorry I haven't told you all yet," Tohru said quickly, looking apologetic. "I meant to, but so much has happened, and I really didn't think Akito would do something like this… I did tell Hatori, Ayame, Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo, though. You didn't forget…. did you?" she asked, turning her attention to Ayame. The snake was almost too surprised for words, and for an instant he simply gaped at the girl like a very astonished fish, but he recovered in record time.

"No, not at all!" he said gaily, a huge smile stretched across his face, partly for effect, partly for relief. "How could I ever forget such an important detail as that?"

"Oh? You looked pretty devastated to me," Haru deadpanned, ignoring the fact that it felt as if whoever had been squeezing his heart had suddenly let go.

"On the contrary!" Ayame said. "I was merely playing the part of the emotionally overcome in the face of losing a precious someone in order to lead Akito awry from my true feelings, nothing more!"

"That's a damn lie…" Haru muttered, but Ayame pretended not to hear.

"You're… you're _sure_ your memories can't be erased?" Momiji asked breathlessly.

"Positive," Tohru replied, grinning as the look of sheer joy on the Rabbit's face.

"Only fools are positive," Val snorted, and Tohru gave her a look, but chose to ignore her.

"Really?" Kisa asked, her voice quavering ever so slightly.

"Really, really," Tohru smiled.

"TOHRU THAT'S _GREAT_!" Momiji cried ecstatically and without further ado, threw his arms around her neck. Tohru laughed and snuggled the little bunny as he pressed his head against her cheek. Kisa was laughing and weeping at the same time, squeezing Tohru as tight as she could as if she would never ever let go. Hatori smiled softly at the looks of relief and joy that swiftly overtook the other Juunishi, and soon Tohru's bed was groaning under their weight as they came forward, talking and smiling and crying at once.

"Hey, what's with all this noise?" asked a quiet voice and Tohru looked up and positively beamed when she saw Yuki's violet eyes gazing back at her from his bed.

"Yuki-kun! You're awake!"

Yuki had barely opened his mouth to reply when his own bed was swamped with yelling and overjoyed people, the first of which was Ayame, who was now nearly hugging the life out of him, sobbing and laughing and telling him how so very worried he'd been… Haru was calling out something similar from his bed, trying to sit up and giving Yuki the biggest grin the Rat had ever seen upon the normally serious Ox's face… Kagura was talking a mile a minute, and smiling and patting him on the back… Kisa was torn between his bed and Tohru's, practically running back and forth between the two to hug them both in turn…

"Whoa, whoa!" he cried, a bit overwhelmed by their enthusiastic reactions. "Now wait a minute… What—"

"Come on, back off, give the guy some air!"

"Oh, dear little brother, you're awake, you don't know how upset I was—!"

"Ayame, you're going to strangle him…"

"—You're sitting on his feet—"

"Hey! Hey! Yuki, you were asleep for _soooooo_ long, you don't know how much every one was so _worried_ about you!"

"Oh, Yun-chan, what that Angel thing did to you was just awful, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I suggest you all get off before you end up crushing him," Hatori said, his calm, quiet tones somehow rising above all the shouting and chaos going on. Sheepishly, they all quickly climbed off Yuki's bed, leaving the Rat looking around in bewildered alarm.

"Yes, yes, we're sorry," Ayame said, although he didn't sound a bit apologetic, his hands still clasping Yuki's tightly. Yuki hadn't quite notice this yet, which was testament to how very dazed he was. "Yes, you're right Hatori, but we were all just so overjoyed to see that you're awake that we didn't realize we might further damage your already delicate body—"

"I'm not delicate!" Yuki said crossly, trying to wriggle his fingers out of Ayame's grasp. The Snake didn't seem to notice, and his smile grew as he swept the Rat up into another happy and relieved embrace. Yuki's cheeks flamed red and he sputtered in angry incoherence. But, for once, Yuki felt it would be wrong to shove the man away; Ayame was actually shaking, and the Rat could see tears in his eyes, and realized the Snake probably needed this, more than he would ever know. So, with an inward sigh, Yuki put up with Ayame's antics for a little while longer.

After the initial tumult had died down, however, Yuki was beginning to notice that something was missing…

"Does anyone know where Kyo-kun is?" Tohru asked suddenly, confirming Yuki's realization that the Cat was no where to be seen. His cousins cheerful smiles fell almost at once and they glanced uneasily at one another, before their eyes finally fell upon Hatori.

"Kyo… is in his room," Hatori said after a moment, and no one missed the slight falter in his voice or the brief frown that dashed across his face.

"What happened?" Kagura asked worriedly.

"I'm not quite sure," Hatori replied slowly, his frown deepening for a moment. "From what I can tell, they had a fight, and Kyo… he ended up breaking Akito's wrist."

Once _again_, absolute silence fell upon the people around him, and it built up like the calm before a storm before finally crashing down in a thunderous avalanche of noise—

"**_WHAT!"_**

And then they were all talking at once, and Hatori waved his hands for quiet, but no one seemed to be listening.

"That _idiot_," Yuki was saying furiously. "That stupid, _stupid_ **_idiot_**, what the hell did he think he was doing?"

"I think it's brilliant," Haru said, grinning viciously. "It's about time someone gave him back some of his own, I say."

"I'm sure it was by accident," Hatori said.

"Oh, but, what's going to happen to Kyo-chan? Akito'll _kill_ him for this!" Kagura moaned, and the rest if them went quiet.

"That or…" Haru began, but he trailed off, his eyes flicking to Tohru for half an instant, and they all knew what he had been about to say, and glanced uneasily at the girl as well. She looked at them all in mild confusion.

"Or what?" she asked Haru finally. He blinked and shook his head with a small, fake smile, knowing it would kill the girl if she were to find out about Kyo's inevitable fate. A fate that even _she_ couldn't change.

"That or Kyo'll just run away and go into hiding for the rest of his life," he said jokingly. Well, it was partly true.

"Or, I hope not…" Tohru said, slightly worried.

"I'm sure he'll give you his address, dear," Val consoled, rising and stretching the kinks out of her back.

"I wouldn't worry too much, Honda-san," Yuki added "He's probably just sulking. He'll… he'll come out eventually, when he's ready…"

Tohru nodded and smiled gratefully and, to their relief, didn't say another word on the subject, and eventually the conversation moved to safer territory. That is, until Valery's reflection in the full-length mirror stranding against the wall caught her eye and she noticed, with a grimace of despair, that her normally drop-dead gorgeous physique was definitely _not_ up to par.

"Tohru…" Val said, squinting her eyes in order to make absolutely sure, and turning slightly to get a look at her profile.

"Yes?"

"I think I gained weight," Val said decisively after a moment, her hands on her hips, her pouting mouth pursed with displeasure, ignoring the number or raised eyebrows in the room.

"Tohru, did I gain weight? I think I did."

"No, you didn't," Tohru said, looking as if she had been through this conversation before. "You are exactly as you should be and I think you're beautiful and—"

"Ren, you go through this damned discussion almost every month," a new, though faintly familiar, voice cut in. "If she's dead bent on believing that every time she looks in a mirror that her waist line has grown another inch, then why waste your time trying to convince her otherwise, when she obviously doesn't even want to listen in the first place?"

Kisa looked down in surprise, since the speaker seemed to be coming from somewhere near her thighs, and met the very annoyed and sleepy red eyes of Rahallion.

"Oh dear, I'm not _that_ fat, am I?" Val gasped, pinching herself to make sure.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're a fat bastard, get over it," Raha growled impatiently, disregarding the overall surprise of the Sohmas at his sudden vocalizations. "Now will you please shut up so I can—"

"Really? You think I gained weight?" Val asked.

"Yes! Now stop obsessing over your fat ass, and listen—!"

"Daaaamn, it is fat," Val said, swinging her rear from side to side, completely oblivious to the stares she was getting now from about a dozen people. "Ewwww! I have one of those jiggly butts!"

"Shut the hell up!" Raha snapped. "Since when are you so insecure about how you look? Look at your personality, it's depraved, demented, and ultimately driven by carnal desire. Your rear is the least of your problems."

"…Yeah, I guess everyone has their moments of insecurity. Whatever, I guess it doesn't matter."

"Damn right it doesn't!" Raha agreed. "If you're a fat bastard, be proud that _you_ are a fat bastard. There's no sense in trying to be something that you aren't. Now will you _please_ stop talking so I can sleep?"

"You know, you're right!" Val said fervently. "Screw society and it's obsession with idealistic beauty! Look at my jiggly butt!" she cried, shaking it vigorously. "Jiggle, jiggle, jiggle! _Look_ at it! Look at my jiggly butt! It's BEAUTIFUL!"

"Stop that, you're embarrassing yourself," Raha told her disdainfully, laying his head down and flattening his ears in distaste.

"Since when do I care?" Val snorted, still shaking her butt, while most of the people present blushed furiously and either stared blatantly with their jaws on the floor and their eyes nearly falling out of their heads in flabbergasted mesmerization. "Look, it's like _gelatin_! Ooooh, it's jiggly. I like the jiggly. Jiggly, jiggly, jiggly!"

"Yes, you have the fattest of assess, now please SHUT UP!"

"It's a jelly butt!"

"Jeez, for the love of God, what kind of higher being gets pleasure out of this garbage?" Raha demanded of no one in particular.

"Look at my jelly butt!"

"I want names!"

"I'm proud of my jelly butt!"

"Give me names!"

Still gyrating her bum, Valery let loose a loud belch, and continued to watch her rear end in never-ending fascination.

"And you! You're the biggest disappointment since the crucifixion!"

"Tohru, does she do this often?" Haru asked interestedly, feeling, for some insane reason, much better after what had happened with Akito earlier.

"Most of the time, yeah," Tohru relied ruefully.

"Has he always been able to talk?" Hiro wanted to know, his hand over Kisa's eyes, and hers over his.

"Not like this no, just recently," Tohru explained. "Since I regained the majority of my power back, in fact, and since _I'm_ more powerful, so is Raha, so he doesn't need to fully transform into a human in order to talk, he can just change his voice-box now."

"Ah."

"Oh, my, now what's happening?" Shigure asked, shaken out of his self-induced trance by the incredibly intriguing display taking place before him.

Perhaps this day wouldn't be so terrible after all…

"Hey, look at that, my jiggly butt can bring people out of self-induced comas!" Val cried jovially, noticing Shigure had finally rejoined the land of the living. "See, Tohru, I told you all that time eating ice cream and watching TV helped people!"

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not mine, and therefore I receive no royalties whatsoever in the making of this story. Unless you count reviews as royalties, then I would fight off any lawyer foolish enough to stand my way and spout legal gibberish at me. I simply will not tolerate anyone that tries to come between me and my precious, precious reviews. Particularly you reviewers, so unless you would all like to feel my Writer's Wrath of Writing, I suggest you click that little button immediately and tell me how great I am. Well… I suppose you have the constitutional right to tell me I suck (not that anyone has, mind you) just be aware that your flames will be doused with a big Pail of Disdain. You have been warned!**

**Also, the Jiggly Butt is not of my own creation. It is in homage to Foamy the Squirrel, featured in a particular internet cartoon that captured Val's glowing personality perfectly. If you would like to see this cartoon, visitNewgrounds dot com****and SEARCH for illwillpress under Authors. The Jiggly Butt is near the bottom of the very extensive and wonderful list of toons starring the all-powerful Foamy. He has a mouth on him though and particularly likes the F word, so for you younger people, tread with caution.**

_

* * *

_Guten tag! Hope you liked this latest installment of Tohru's Demons (and the fact that I updated so soon)! There will be more angsting in the next chapter and then some action and swash-buckling adventure, if all goes according to plan, so it should be fun. Also, if you have any questions at all feel free to email me or simply review, it's all the same. 

Now, I realize that with this new rule in place that I can't answer you here. But leave me your email address and a CLEAR wish that you want me to reply, since I will obviously not be able to answer them all, and I will gladly oblige. What with college and stuff happening, I may not get to you immediately, but hopefully this will encourage me to be more attentive. Actually, this way is probably better, since I'll get to reply sooner than I could (without having to write out a new chapter to go with it), and thus will be able to remember everything I want to say. And if you don't have an email address, but you do have stories posted, then I might get to talk to you in the form of reviews. And if you have neither, well… sucks for you, then.

Also, some people have asked if the previous chapter involved scenes from the 11th volume of the manga, and the answer is yes, for the reason that it fit quite nicely and allowed me to establish a few more plot twists that were present in the actual works of Fruits Basket by Takaya-sensei. Plus, it was just an AWESOME scene and I wanted to use it.

Also, as it seems my editor feels she's not getting enough credit for Valery's level 17 glare line, I have decided to devote the next few lines to her.

CREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDIT

CREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDIT

CREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDITCREDIT

There. There's you're damned credit. Stop being sad.

Over and out,

Your Lord and Master,

Raha


	39. My Dear Readers

My dear readers,

First, I would like to thank you for being so patient with me and for your wonderful support. I loved reading your reviews, and they have given me a lot of confidence in myself and my writing. However, I've been thinking about the original story of Ren very much these past few months and there are several changes I wish to make.

Unfortunately, the way Tohru's Demons has progressed, I could not possibly instill these alterations without going into past chapters and altering them. This adjustment refers mainly to the souls of Angels and demons—which also ties in with familiars—which is a factor I had not quite thought through when I began this story, and now I have finally come upon the solution.

Now, I know this is very unorthodox (and, I hate to say, reminiscent of Spielberg), but I want to create an updated version of Tohru's Demons—a re-release you might say. I won't take the original Tohru's Demons off, but I will not be updating it any longer. Instead, I'm making a new one. I'm sorry about this, but I do not wish to continue building on discarded ideas.

Despite the fact that these changes will not change the ultimate plot, they may be enough to force you to go back and re-read the whole thing, and I am not so evil as to do that. So I will give you the important things here.

The first isn't all that important. Ren's name has been changed to Renry, simply because I like it better that way, and as I will be referring to her as such I thought I might as well tell you. It was inevitable really—I changed all my characters' names at least six times each before I landed on the right one. Ren just got tiresome, and as her parents were exceedingly well-off I felt her old name did not fit her status.

Secondly, and more importantly, are the souls of demons and Angels. In Renry's world, and all worlds, souls are made up of three parts: the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. This is Freudian psychology, by the way. The Id is the demon—it wants, wants, wants and wants it _now_. The Superego is the Angel—it is the conscience, determining right from wrong. The Ego is humanity—it works to compromise both the Id and Superego by acting as a common ground and thus bring the soul into harmony and balance, as well as bringing to light a sense of self.

When a familiar (Rahallion) is removed and put into physical form that is called _hallowing _(sounds like hollowing, doesn't it? Gotta love a play on words)When the familiar is cut entirely from the soul and becomes a demon that is called _sundering_. Normally, The Ego and Superego stay together, but something went wrong with the Hellena Device (you know the thing that does all this stuff), that made even those two split apart…

Let's see…Yes, Millie has also undergone construction, as well as Rahallion and Valery, and Artemis' past has been greatly fleshed out, but I will not get into that here.

Again, I apologize for doing this, but I see no other way around it. I'm happy you enjoyed Tohru's Demons thus far, and I know the newer version could be upsetting, but I hope you like it just as much if not more than the original—which, frankly, was a working draft. However, nothing earthshaking will happen to the plot, so I don't think you need to worry too much. Honestly, I think these new ideas will blow you away.

Thank you again, and remember this is not the end.

Raha


End file.
